TOWN hall chiefs are preparing for a trip to France to promote Ealing as a 'developers' paradise'.

Four senior regeneration officers will attend next week's MIPIM conference in Cannes. The event is due to attract the world's property market experts and developers.

Officers from other West London councils will also attend.

The cost of Ealing's representatives attending the four-day conference stands at £8,000. It is hoped developers will see Ealing as an area of huge potential with 'more than 100 development opportunities in housing, retail, leisure and business', 32 of these within Ealing town centre.

In a brochure for prospective investors, Ealing's main attraction is said to be its transport links, helped by the coming of Crossrail which will create five new stations in the borough, with journeys to Heathrow taking just 15 minutes and the City only 20 minutes.

Brendon Walsh, director of property and regeneration for Ealing Council said: "Ealing is a borough that has been punching below its weight for many years and hasn't necessarily attracted the right level of attention from developers, and yet it's the largest of the west London boroughs and its location makes it very important.

"As an authority, we're proactively working with developers and we think we can achieve a healthy balance between encouraging development and improving what we've got in terms of the green environment and quality buildings.

"In five to 10 years' time, our expectations would be that Crossrail will have made a big difference to us and I would anticipate our town centres will be seen as better places to invest and that local people will be using their local shopping centres rather than going out of borough."

The brochure entices investors by stating that there are more VAT-regis-tered businesses in the borough than anywhere else in west London. The average household income is £37,000 - higher than the overall London average.

Other attractions include Ealing's open spaces, its above national average GCSE grades, a new office block in the heart of Ealing Broadway, Dickens Yard, and Ealing Studios, which put the area on the international film-making map.

Investment opportunities include Acton Town Hall, Dean Gardens, Ealing Broadway and Station approach, Southall Station, Havelock Estate, Glade Lane, North Acton and Greenford Green.

An Ealing council spokeswoman said: "This is the largest property and development conference in the world, with both UK and overseas developers all in the one place.

"Officers will be seeking to promote the borough and encourage big businesses to invest in Ealing, helping to regenerate the area and provide jobs.

"Two officers are even using their annual leave to cycle from London to Cannes and are raising money for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal and other charities."