Housing developer Pocket Living submits a planning application to the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) for a new Build to Rent scheme. Located at Atlas Wharf on Atlas Road, NW10, the site is adjacent to the Grand Union Canal in the London Borough of Ealing, but the site falls under the jurisdiction of the OPDC and is identified in the emerging plan as part of a new town centre.
Pocket Living has been working with Grid Architects to work up plans for the new scheme, which includes three buildings. The buildings will be connected at ground floor level via a podium and will include a shared entrance for residents. The scheme will deliver 436 units – a mix of studios, one, two and three bedroom Build to Rent homes, with 35% provided as affordable housing.
“GRID architects were delighted when Pocket Living selected us to design their first Build to Rent development. We have incorporated our wealth of knowledge of the Build to Rent sector to create what we believe will be a great place for Londoners to live (with the ability to work from home) where they can enjoy internal and external amenity spaces on a Canalside location.
“Once a brick and tile works, the history of the site has been woven into the architecture of the buildings, so that Atlas Wharf is not a generic place to live but one influenced by its place.”
Laurence Osborn, Director, Grid Architects
Pocket Living has incorporated a number of resident amenity spaces – including separate roof terraces, a ground floor terrace overlooking the canal, and a private landscaped garden on the podium. There will also be cycle storage and commercial and retail uses that will be open to the public. A new step-free pedestrian and cycle connection from Atlas Road to the canal towpath is also a key aspect of the submitted proposals.
“We believe that with unrivalled connectivity across London and the UK, Old Oak and Park Royal can become a thriving, inclusive and healthy new urban district, with huge benefits for current and new residents and businesses alike.
“And why Build to Rent? With the maturing of institutional investment around Build to Rent on one hand and most of the Build to Rent focus at the higher end of the market, there was scope for us to deliver a Build to Rent format that would sit comfortably with Pocket’s for-sale brand.
“All of our stakeholders are pointing in the same direction, and one of our key stakeholders is our consumer. For our customer, we know that a keenly priced rental product would get an awful lot of people into a home that they could consider their own for the long term.”
Marc Vlessing, Chief Executive, Pocket Living
Pocket Living’s aim is to provide a rental option that is accessible to young middle-earning professionals in London. Following the UK Government’s re-emphasis on a brownfield-first approach to solving the housing crisis – and commitment to see significant new homes being delivered alongside HS2 transport infrastructure – the developer is shifting its focus into larger brownfield sites.
