John Lewis appeals on plan for Waitrose and 428 homes

John Lewis will appeal plans after a local London council failed to agree on plans to build 428 homes and a Waitrose in West Ealing, a move which has come under attack by campaign groups.

The retailer, which owns the supermarket chain and a string of eponymous department stores, said the development was still under review by Ealing Council. This is long past the statutory 13 weeks which such applications need to be resolved.

In a statement, John Lewis said its foray into the property sector would create “vital new housing and a community space” amid a challenging period for the UK’s housing market.

The struggling retailer, said the move would generate over £8m in council tax revenues and boost the local economy by an estimated £45m a year in extra spending.

However, campaign groups such as Stop the Towers have called for the build to be stopped on the grounds that the building will be too tall and not feature enough affordable housing.

John Lewis plans for over 80 of the homes on the scheme to be affordable.

Katherine Russell, Director of build-to-rent at JLP, said: “We have taken the decision to appeal for non-determination of our planning application to build new rental homes nearly one year on from first submitting it to Ealing Council.

“Our proposals will create hundreds of homes at a time when all political parties agree there’s a desperate need for more housing and local investment to spur economic growth, with a priority on brownfield land.

She added: “An appeal is not something we take lightly, however, we believe we have strong grounds to be successful given the opportunity to transform an under-used brownfield site close to the publicly-funded Crossrail station with new homes and investment that will benefit the wider community.”

The group aims to be on site in late 2025 and complete in 2029.