Vision for the development of the Golden Mile launched at Brentford FC - European Football

Golden Mile vision for future neighbourhoods and gathering places; graphic – Golden Mile London

A new town on our doorstep

Over the next 15 years the plans afoot to develop the corridor of land around the A4 between Chiswick Business Park and the Sky campus in Osterley will effectively become a new town potentially creating 14,000 new homes and 25,000 new jobs.

The vision behind Golden Mile London is to make it the world’s largest creative tech innovation district and for the children and grandchildren of Chiswick residents it could open up a world of opportunities.

Gillette Building

The drive into London from the west is a journey through west London’s industrial past – iconic Art Deco buildings such as the Firestone Tye Factory, built in 1928, and the Gilette Factory, built in 1936 – 37.

Much of this stretch (two and a half miles actually) is now home to newer global companies, but the potential for further development makes it one of the biggest investment opportunities in London.

The Golden Mile Business & Developers Forum at the launch of the Golden Mile forum at Brentford FC’s Gtech stadium

Big businesses involved in the Golden Mile London

Mandy Skinner, CEO of Hounslow Council, introduced the Golden Mile London vision at Brentford FC’s Gtech stadium on Thursday 25 February, to a roomful of high-powered businesspeople who already have skin in the game.

Sarah Ardley, Programme Head at Sky Spaces, was there representing one of the biggest employers in LB Hounslow; Matt Griffiths-Rimmer, Communications and Impact Director with the Hadley Property Group, spoke for the developer who currently have a planning application in to develop 980 Great West Road, the former GSK Headquarters, to include around 2,300 new homes.

Rob Tincknell, CEO and founder of the Areli Group of developers, said:

“Golden Mile London is amongst the most exciting projects happening in the capital. The 450-acre zone is already one the largest creative districts in the city with a turnover more than half all the other creative enterprise zones put together.

“The new vision has brought together local government, business and developers to build on the 100-year legacy of future facing enterprise to establish the Golden Mile as the World’s leading Creative Technology Innovation District and become a great place to live and work.”

JC Decaux Building; JC Decaux asset on the Great West Road

Rob Caspar, Development and Partnerships Director at JC Decaux, the world’s largest outdoor advertising company, told the meeting they had been owner-occupiers of 991 Great West Road, Brentford, one of the Golden Mile’s Art Deco jewels, for 30 years and they found the plans for the area “a very exciting prospect”.

These businesses which already have a stake in the project have come together to form the Golden Mile Business & Developers Forum, with Rob Tincknell as their Chair. The Council has already taken the first step by approving the Golden Mile Investment Framework at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 20 January, with a commitment of £1 million investment.

The next step will be to promote it at MIPIM, the annual real estate and urban planning event in Cannes in March and the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum UKREiIF in Leeds in May.

Map showing the vision for the Golden Mile with existing assets and new interventions;, including the route of the West London Orbital; image Golden Mile London

Dependent on the West London Orbital

The success of the vision for the Golden Mile is reliant on the development of a new railway line – the West London Orbital. At the meeting on Thursday, speaker after speaker stressed the importance of this new transport infrastructure.

The West London Orbital will open up a whole new set of connections, said Hounslow Council’s Director of Regeneration Peter O’Brien, that will fundamentally change the way west London operates. No longer will we have to go all the way into London and out again to get from one part of west London to another by rail.

For residents of Chiswick, getting the timing and delivery of the new railway line right, along with an upgrade of the overcrowded Gunnersbury Station and an upgrade of the Piccadilly Line, will be key to whether we regard the development as inspiring and visionary or whether the effect on us will be just to add to the chaos of London living.

Global companies currently based on the Grest West Road – graphic – Golden Mile London

Prior to setting up Areli, Rob Tincknell spent 12 years as CEO of the Battersea Power Station development, securing the 10m sqft planning consent, the Northern Line extension and finally delivering the mix of businesses and homes which is now considered a world class scheme.

He told the meeting there were parallels between the Nine Elms regeneration project and the Golden Mile. In order to get support for the Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station he set up a developers’ forum to work with Transport for London.

The Golden Mile project is now: “the largest regeneration project in the whole of west London”, he told the meeting. They were looking to create the world’s largest creative tech innovation district, he said, “where the artistic imagination meets technology innovation.

“This is not just for new residents, but will offer better facilities for existing residents as well”.

Christmas lights along the Great West Road, aka the Golden Mile

Strong partnerships between the local authority and businesses essential to the success of the project

Cliff Crown, Chairman of Brentford FC, told the group how delighted they were to be part of it. For would-be investors he offered reassurance from the football club’s experience of how positive the experience of working with Hounslow Council had been:

“Now in our fifth consecutive year in the Premier League we have had an incredible journey, and we have had fantastic support from the Council”.

Thanking their host, Leader of Hounslow Council Cllr Shantanu Rajawat added:

“This is about shaping the future of Hounslow, West London and the capital as a whole. We’re set to deliver thousands of homes and jobs while building greener, healthier neighbourhoods for our residents. Through strong partnerships, we are proud to be setting out a bold, long-term vision for inclusive, sustainable growth”.

He told The Chiswick Calendar:

“We prefer a co-produced vision rather than one that is top-down”.

The Gillette Building

The UK’s largest creative tech innovation district

The Golden Mile London is already reckoned to be the UK’s largest creative tech innovation district – home to 37% of the UK’s broadcast media jobs (45% of London’s). In addition to the Sky campus, Chiswick Business Park is home to Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Discovery, SEGA and IMG, CBS and Fox News Chiswick Business Park, where Paramount Pictures, SEGA and IMG’s UK operations.

Andrew Dakers, Chief Executive of West London Business, said a lot of people commute in and out of the area. The provision of a sustainable mixed-use neighbourhood of homes and offices would provide the social glue to enable them to do business together.

(L) Film & photography studios at Richmond American University, based at Chiswick Business Park; (Top R) CBS news, also based at Chiswick Business Park; (Bottom R) Chiswick Studios

Sarah Ardley said Sky was “super excited” to be part of the group.

“We have been here for 35 years and we know many partners in the area, but don’t often see them. This is an opportunity to collaborate in a better way”.

The Sky campus was built to accommodate 7,500 workers. It operates a fleet of shuttlebuses to get staff and visitors from various public transport locations to what a witty member of staff has dubbed ‘Skyberia’. The West London Orbital would bring them in from the cold.

Golden Mile vision proposition; graphic Golden Mile London

Lauren Paul, Head of Studio at 180 Studios, where Bohemian Rhapsody was made, told the development group they were looking forward to opportunities for partnerships.

180 Studios is part of a creative media hub inside the Gillette Building, which is being transformed into a state-of-the-art virtual production, film studios, and technology centre, with associated facilities specifically aimed at digital content creation and production.

John Charlton, Head of Knowledge Exchange at the University of West London, said they had around 1,000 students from Hounslow and they were very happy to be part of it for the opportunities if brought their students.

Warner Bros. Discovery; SEGA; Chiswick Business Park

Cllr Rajawat told me:

“It is clear that growth needs to happen which is inclusive of all our residents and young people. Growth only really succeeds if it happens for the benefit of our residents, opening up good jobs and sustainable regeneration”.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar

See all the latest stories: Chiswick Calendar News & Features

Support The Chiswick CalendarThe Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.

We publish a weekly newsletter and update the website with local news and information daily. We are editorially independent.

To subscribe to the weekly newsletter, go here.