As I arrive at the new marketing suite in the Broadway, where three display homes are fitted to the highest specifications, to meet my host, he is already buzzing with excitement.

Ian Dobie, managing director of St George's west London portfolio, thinks Dickens Yard represents a bright future at the heart of the borough.

"Ealing is one of the safest and greenest boroughs in London but less than half an hour from central London. With Crossrail coming in 2017 and the tube connections, that's why it's so popular. 

"Ealing's got a great history and reputation, and as close to Twickenham, the home of English rugby, as Wembley, the home of English football."

He tells me this s200m project is the biggest single investment Ealing has ever seen, and careful thought by architect John Thompson has gone into preserving Ealing's heritage. 

"We're looking for that village feel," he said. "We want to be part of London and part of the local community."

The Grade II listed Town Hall, the locally listed Old Fire Station quietly tucked away in Longfield Avenue, and Sir Gilbert Scott's 1852 Christ the Saviour Church, are the historical cornerstones of this glittering new community. 

With 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space stretching along a newly carved Market Street, which will lead from the church square to a public piazza, it is hoped this will become a bustling and inviting space for its new homeowners as well as shoppers. 

After a short lecture on safety, suited and booted with steel-capped boots, a high-visibility jacket and hard hat, I follow Ian and his burly team through the maze of lorries where the workers are digging - the gaping hole will house an energy centre to power the entire yard and the underground parking will include 300 public spaces. 

Rising statically in its bare, concrete glory we scale the eight floors to the top of the duly named Belgravia tower to find a breathtaking view stretching right out across London. 

The BT Tower and Southwark's new Shard are clearly visible on the hazy skyline, and to the north a quintessential view of Ealing marking her quite rightly as Queen of the Suburbs, with Ealing Abbey perched high above the canopy of bushy tree tops over Pitshanger. 

The first tenants are due to move in by autumn next year while the next phase beings to emerge through the cranes and scaffolding.

Building work will continue for another four years, but Ian assures me St George is working closely with the neighbouring primary school and the council to make it as bearable as possible. 

Double glazed windows have been installed, while site managers visited in spring to talk to pupils about the project and job opportunities in the construction business - something Ian, who started as an apprentice before taking a degree in structural engineering, is keen to promote. 

A Christmas carol at the church and plans to celebrate Ealing Studios' 80th anniversary are signs that Dickens Yard genuinely hopes to become part of the local community. "We believe in quality of the public realm."