BACKGROUND

For the purposes of this section, by “Commercial” we mean

·        Large free standing office blocks, probably let to more than one tenant

·        Smaller offices/serviced space, often above street level retail and leisure activities

·         Workshops, including starter units for small businesses

·         Hotels and other premises occupied or let for gain.
 

1.          Location

Commercial office activity in the centre of Ealing is mainly concentrated in larger buildings to the west of the town centre along the Uxbridge Road, known as the “office corridor”.
 
A number of smaller, often professional, offices are located above the shops in the Victorian and Edwardian buildings along The Broadway and The Mall, and on the upper floors of The Broadway Shopping Centre.  There are a very small number of workshops remaining in the town centre.  None are thought to cater for starter businesses.

There are presently no hotels in the centre of Ealing, though permission has been given for a 165-bed commercial/budget hotel at 22-24 Uxbridge Road.

2.          Accessibility

Much of the office area is outside the accepted distance for a “ped shed” (400m or 5 minutes walk from a station), with Westel House being exactly 800m between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing, a 10 minute walk along busy traffic routes.  This, and the east-west nature of Ealing’s major rail, tube and bus routes, mean that staff in offices outside the central corridor are more likely to commute to work by car.  This will be especially true of those who do not live on accessible public transport routes.  This is reflected by the proportionately large number of large private car parking spaces in the metropolitan town centre.: 1,411 private compared to 1,718 public.[11]  However because of the number of buses on the Uxbridge Road, the area is rated with a PTAL of between 4 & 6.
 
Accessibility will also be a critical factor for prospective tenants.  Crossrail plus easy taxi access at Ealing Broadway should prove an attractive feature of new office accommodation in the future.  This is despite its not being particularly accessible by road for those who live, or are based, outside the immediate area, with rush hour congestion on the Uxbridge Road, Argyll Road and Northfield Avenue detracting from the attractiveness of this location.

3.          Occupancy and demand 

A significant amount of office space in central Ealing remains unlet, partly because many blocks are seen as out-of-date and in need of refurbishment or complete redevelopment (such as Villiers House).  At the same time, confidence in the outlook for occupier demand in the whole of the Greater London area, as measured by the RICS in Q2 2008, reached the lowest level in the survey’s history, even before the latest economic downturn. 

GVA Grimley have reviewed demand for office space in Ealing Town Centre and forecast that there will be a need for a net additional 2,000 to 4,000 sq.m  by 2011 and 25,000 to 40,000 by 2016.  They also observe that at the end of 2005 approximately 31,700 sq.m of office space was either under construction or had secured planning permissions.[12]  This suggests that there will be little immediate demand for office space over that which has already been approved.  Such development as does take place is more likely to be nearer Ealing Broadway station and its transport links.  This could result in continued vacancies in the Uxbridge Road.

Demand forecasts for hotel beds in the economic sub-region[13] show that there will be a high need for more quality hotels in Ealing and its immediate neighbours (Brent and Hounslow), totalling 6,000 net new beds by 2026 (over 80% more).  This would be a natural consequence of increases in office and leisure space, as well as improved transport links.

AIMS

The SEC believes policy for commercial activity in the centre of Ealing should be to

1.       improve the opportunities for more office employment in total

2.       exploit the increased accessibility of the town centre created by Crossrail, through high quality mixed-use development

3.      encourage the redevelopment/refurbishment of out-of-date accommodation, without significantly increasing the total quantum of space; where appropriate, consider the conversion of less accessible units to residential accommodation

4.      discourage commuting by car and restrict commercial car parking

5.      ensure adequate, cheap space is available for smaller businesses, start-ups and studio type use

6.      encourage the building of new quality or “boutique” hotel space within the centre, probably linked to new an arts and conference facility.

PROPOSALS

The existence of a number of redevelopment sites in the town centre offers the opportunity for new commercial space within easy walking distance of Ealing Broadway station.  Such redevelopment should respect the scale and grain of the present predominantly Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including but not limited to those frontages which are recognized as having particular value. 

Development locations suitable for office space include:

• Villiers House (UDP site 64).  A significant, well-designed building of up to 30m (8 storeys over a new bus/rail/underground interchange) could replace the present empty 9-storey 36,000 sq ft (3,340 sqm) block with up to 4,500 sqm total.  This would allow a landmark building in conjunction with the station development for Crossrail, with retail space as well as improved links to the Arcadia centre.  Alternatively, this site, Arcadia or Dickens Yard could provide space for a significant hotel with function rooms for local business and community use.   
• 51 & 53 The Mall (UDP site 54).  Space for smaller offices, with some residential/community uses.  Space north of The Mall could also provide some redeveloped office accommodation.
• Arcadia (UDP site 63).  Some office space (1,500 – 2,000 sqm) over redeveloped retail units facing The Broadway/Springbridge Road (up to six storeys).  Administrative office space linked to an arts/conference centre would also be needed (or alternatively on Dickens Yard).
• Dickens Yard (UDP site 58)  Existing buildings (stable block) should be reserved for small studio units for uses such as arts/small workshops/low cost offices. 
• Other town centre locations (Broadway Centre, Lamertons and cinema sites) should also continue to provide for smaller office units and allow for a small hotel.
• The Uxbridge Road office corridor redevelopment should continue to cater for the larger business occupier, but with little or no net increase in total commercial space, after allowing for some conversion to residential and provision for community use.  Such development should be combined with the provision of small retail facilities to serve the offices (such as restaurants) and increased nearby housing.