John Lewis Partnership faces fresh criticism over rental property plans

JLP, which plans to develop and rent out 10,000 homes over the next 10 years, has been accused of ignoring local community sentiment and sustainability concerns. 

Stop The Towers (STT), a campaign group that supports residents in West Ealing, has made a complaint to a council leader about the retailer’s plans to build hundreds of rental homes in the area. 

STT lodged a complaint with Ealing council leader Peter Mason about the height of some of the proposed buildings, which it claims are up to 20 storeys against a maximum of 13 allowed in the area. 

STT added that JLP’s decision to demolish a Waitrose supermarket that was less than 18 years old to make room for the development was incompatible with “sustainability best practice”.

JLP also faced criticism for its decision to submit the planning application during the summer holidays, which locals said made it difficult to review and respond ahead of the August 31 deadline. 

The retailer’s commitment to building only 20% affordable housing in West Ealing, despite its ambition to make 35% of the homes affordable, is also a point of contention.

In response to the concerns, JLP cited official data from June showing that the average proportion of affordable housing in new homes developed in England in 2022 was 11.4%.

The opposition faced by the department store retailer over its development plans follows a similar backlash in Bromley, southeast London. 

Despite the criticism, JLP stated that its project would provide much-needed, affordable homes for the local area.

The retailer is pushing on with its ambition to build almost 800 new homes in London, with plans for a development in Reading to be introduced later this year.