An applicant who proposed building four tower blocks up to 23 storeys high near Southall station has been told there are not enough affordable homes included in the plans.

Plans submitted to Ealing Council by Merrick Road LLP asked for permission to knock down all buildings on the Arches Business Centre site in Merrick Road, including the locally listed arches.

The demolished buildings would make way for four tower blocks, ranging from 15 to 23 storeys, which would include 571 homes and 2,100 square metres of office space.

Also proposed is a boundary wall separating the development from the railway line as well as play and amenity spaces, new vehicle and cycle parking and refuse areas.

Southall has been designated an opportunity area and housing zone by the Mayor of London and is set to deliver a minimum of 6,000 new homes and 2,500 jobs.

However, the applicant behind the proposals, which were sent to Sadiq Khan for consideration, was told the plans do not comply with the London Plan or the draft London Plan.

Although the Merrick Road proposals are "broadly acceptable in strategic planning terms", eight areas for amendment were highlighted by the Greater London Authority's report.

The proposed Merrick Road development

The GLA report, published on Tuesday (May 22), said: "The applicant should investigate the availability of grant provision in order to maximise affordable housing provision."

On top of that, it said details on the precise unit mix in the affordable housing contribution "have not been provided" and more details about the workspaces and access arrangements are needed.

It added: "Further work is required in respect of servicing, cycle parking, blue badge parking and mitigation for local public transport.

"Design changes are required in relation to design treatment, communal amenity spaces and the number of single aspect units."

Proposals were submitted to Ealing Council for four tower blocks in Merrick Road

After considering the proposal, which was submitted to Ealing Council on March 23, the Mayor told the local authority that Merrick Road LLP's plans are "broadly acceptable in strategic planning terms".

Although the report said the proposals do not comply with the London Plan, it said "resolution of [the issues] could lead to the proposal complying with the London Plan and draft London Plan".

The Arches Business Centre is surrounded by a number of other sites which are part of redevelopment plans , with permission being granted for 301 homes on the Malgavita Works site.

A residential-led mixed-use development was approved for the former Honda site in Merrick Road last year and a decision is expected for the redevelopment of the nearby Esso site.