Plans to create what developers claimed would be west London's biggest new park for a century, in exchange for extracting gravel, have been rejected.
Formal Investments wanted to extract 3m cubic metres of gravel from Rectory Farm, in Cranford, and create a 110-acre park above.
But its plans for the disused green belt site, bordering Bath Road and The Parkway, were finally rejected by Hounslow Council on April 22, more than two years after the application was first submitted.
The council wrote in its notice of refusal that the proposals represented "inappropriate development" of green belt land due to the number of vehicles which would have to access the site.
It also claimed the developer had provided "insufficient information" to show neighbours would not be affected by noise and dust from the work, among other reasons given for the rejection.
The council further stated no Section 106 agreement had been reached over funding for road improvements, a travel plan regarding access to the site or the phasing of the gravel extraction.
Under the plans, the gravel - equivalent to the size of 1,200 Olympic swimming pools - would have been extracted over 15-20 years, with the underground cavern created eventually used as a warehouse.
The developer said extracting gravel from different sections in turn meant the vast majority of the park, which would eventually include sports pitches and woodland, could be used during the work.
It also claimed the method of gravel extraction, known as 'sealed top-down construction', would minimise disruption for the site's neighbours.
Formal Investments director Nicholas King said: "Clearly we are very disappointed. Before we make a full response we need to fully review the council's decision.
"The intention was - and remains - to give local people the tremendous legacy of a public park that would be free to enjoy, with paths for walking and cycling, sports pitches, communal gardens, meadows and much more.
"Over the last three years, an immense amount of work has gone into exploring how the much-needed aggregates could be extracted with minimal impact on neighbouring communities.
"Our extensive and open public consultations engaged a huge number of local people and their representatives and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
"We hope to be able to keep the dream of this new park alive and to give people in Hounslow the good news they have long been waiting for."
