Plans in again for Hounslow's new public park

Rectory Farm

We were very excited to be back with this new application. We remain wholeheartedly committed to creating economic growth in the London Borough of Hounslow whilst giving local people a tremendous legacy of a public park, free to enjoy

Formal Investments have submitted proposals to the London Borough of Hounslow to create a large public park as part of a process of underground mineral extraction linked to the creation of warehouse space.

A video has been created explaining how the unique use of top down construction methods, instead of open cast mining, delivers the space and the park. It can be watched at: rectory-farm.com

The proposals extract gravel from beneath the surface of 110 acres of disused land which sits alongside The Parkway (A312) and Bath Road (A4) - commonly known as Rectory Farm.

Using the underground space created by the gravel extraction to create c175,000 sq m of 9m high warehouse floorspace, it will create around 2,500 new job opportunities.

The London Borough of Hounslow has identified this part of Heston and Cranford as lacking in accessible public open space. Under the proposals areas of park will be available to the public within 12 months of starting on site.

The extracted gravel will help the London Borough of Hounslow contribute to the strategic demand identified in the London Plan for the capital to 2031. A proportion of the gravel will be retained on site to batch and distribute concrete to construction sites. And some of the concrete will be used to construct the underground warehouse space.

Similar proposals were rejected by the London Borough of Hounslow in 2015 because insufficient information had been provided to address some of the planning issues raised by the proposals. The intervening period has been used to ensure the current submission now addresses these issues in full.

The plans have already been widely consulted on, including with the Council’s Heston & Cranford Area Forum, with Seema Malhotra MP and local Councillors, nearby residents, community groups and the wider Hounslow community, Transport for London and the Greater London Authority.

A public consultation questionnaire generated 664 responses that were overwhelmingly positive:

• 96.6% believe the area needs a new park
• 97.2% want the land turned into a public park rather than returned to farmland after extraction
• 95.7% approve or strongly approve of the proposals for the project overall
• 96.4% approve or strongly approve of the improved pathways linking communities
• 95.8% approve or strongly approve of the new employment the project will bring

The largest new park in West London for more than 100 years will create for opportunities for active recreation, sport and leisure activities. It would link existing green corridors and promote health and wellbeing.

Asked what activities and facilities they would like to see in the new park, more than half of respondents said a children’s play area, cycle paths, an exercise trail, free running, football pitches and tennis courts. Other popular suggestions included community allotments, a cricket pitch, fenced dog area, a skate park and a running track.

Formal Investments director Nicholas King said: “We were very excited to be back with this new application. We remain wholeheartedly committed to creating economic growth in the London Borough of Hounslow whilst giving local people a tremendous legacy of a public park, free to enjoy.”

Further information and the video about the project can be found at rectory-farm.com