Harrow Council approves Station Road flat block
A seven-storey apartment building will replace a restaurant despite concerns over noise and lack of affordable housing.
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Harrow Council has granted permission to demolish a restaurant at 382-384 Station Road in Harrow-on-the-Hill to make way for a seven-storey apartment building. The approved plans, submitted by Quintas Homes, will see the site, currently occupied by Jamaican restaurant Smokey Fridays, redeveloped to include 12 residential units and commercial space on the ground floor.
Development Details and Objections
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The new building will comprise one one-bedroom flat, ten two-bedroom flats, and one three-bedroom flat. Developers stated the brownfield site offers an opportunity to enhance the streetscape and provide new homes. However, the proposal faced opposition from local businesses and some councillors.
A primary concern raised during the planning committee meeting was the potential for noise complaints from future residents regarding the nearby Trinity Bar, a music venue that operates until 4am. Christopher Perdue, owner of Trinity Bar, argued the proposed flats were unsuitable for the location, citing existing high levels of noise from late-night activity.
The proposed residential flats are located directly within what one could call the West End of Harrow, an area of numerous late-night bars, restaurants, takeaways and Trinity. [...] the music venue will be 30ft from the door of any new development on this site.
Christopher Perdue, owner of Trinity Bar
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The agent for Quintas Homes countered that the area already has existing residential properties that coexist with the night-time economy. They presented a noise assessment suggesting that mitigation measures, including acoustic glazing and mechanical ventilation, would render the impact negligible. The agent also suggested the development would suit individuals wanting to live in a busy town centre.
Affordable Housing and Committee Decision
The scheme will not include any affordable housing. Both the developer's and the council's financial viability assessments indicated that the project could not support affordable housing contributions, projecting commercial losses even with 100 per cent market housing. Committee chair Cllr Marilyn Ashton commented on the difficulty of providing affordable homes, citing increased build costs and economic factors.
Despite two separate attempts to refuse the plan based on building height and the absence of affordable housing, both failed. The final decision was approved by a split vote, with five Conservative members voting in favour and two Labour members voting against the proposal.
Cllr Ashton stated she saw no planning grounds to refuse the proposal that would withstand an appeal, noting the building's height was not excessive compared to other town centre structures and describing the design as attractive.
Questions this report answers
+Will the new flats include any affordable housing?
No affordable housing will be included in the Station Road development. The council and developer’s financial assessments showed the scheme could not support affordable units without making the project commercially unviable, even with 100% market-rate flats.
+How many flats are in the new building?
The seven-storey block will contain 12 flats in total: one one-bedroom, ten two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom unit. The ground floor will also feature commercial space as part of the redevelopment.
+What concerns were raised about the location?
Residents and councillors worried about noise from the nearby Trinity Bar, which operates until 4am. The bar’s owner argued the flats were too close, just 30ft away, and would face constant late-night disturbances despite proposed noise mitigation measures.
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