Capco Earls Court plans approved

LB Hammersmith & Fulham has resolved to grant outline planning permission for Capital & Counties’ Earls Court Project.

Capco say this signals an important milestone in the plans to transform the Earls Court and West Kensington Opportunity Area into a “vibrant new urban district” which will contain 7,500 new homes and bring 12,000 new jobs to the area.

Sir Terry Farrell’s Masterplan for the area is based on the concept of ‘Four Urban Villages and a 21st Century High Street’. It is inspired by the best of London’s garden squares, mansion blocks and open spaces and will include around 1,500 affordable homes, offices, hotels, a school and community facilities, as well as a new five acre park for London.

The Earls Court & West Kensington Opportunity Area stretches across two boroughs – LBHF and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC). A decision on the outline planning application from RBKC is expected in the coming months.

H&F Council Leader, Cllr Nicholas Botterill, said: “Britain needs more homes and more jobs and this is just the kind of privately-funded construction, on a brownfield site, that can lift the UK out of recession. Growth is the engine of economic opportunity and this country needs many more visionary projects like this.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance for the residents of West Kensington and Earls Court to benefit from a massive investment in their own area. All our residents can now look forward to a new era of prosperity and opportunity, with new homes and jobs on offer, and the council will be there to help every step of the way.”

The plans had been recommended for approval.

Cllr Botterill and Sir Terry Farrell will speak at Place West London in October, an event which will also feature an update on the Earls Court progress.