Major plans to demolish the Morrisons supermarket in Brentford and build a new superstore and flats have been officially approved by Hounslow Council despite significant local opposition.

The plans developed by Essential Living, which were approved by the council's planning committee back in April 2017, were finally signed off by the authority's chief planning officer on May 4.

They will involve demolishing the existing supermarket, and building a new store covering 3,502 square metres with a café covering 661 square metres, 221 apartments for private rent and 90 car parking spaces.

As of April last year Lidl and Marks & Spencer had signed heads of terms indicating their joint interest in the site but Essential Living said on Monday it had nothing further to say currently on which retail giant would be moving in.

The firm bought the Morrisons store and car park in High Street in 2015 for £16.25 million.

Brentford ward councillor Mel Collins who voted against the plans with his two colleagues in the ward, said the delay in signing off the scheme has been about trying to secure an agreement on the amount of affordable housing provided.

He said: "We've stood firm and demanded that Essential Living stick to their agreement for affordable housing and that the properties will be rent only for 20 years and amen to that.

"We get precious little affordable homes in these developments as it is and it's only right for the community and the people of Brentford that we demand them."

He said another vital agreement that has been secured is that Morrisons has agreed it will not close the supermarket until demolition starts or until an alternative has been put in place, such as a temporary store or a shuttle transport service to the nearby Tesco store.

Cllr Collins said it is "vital" the centre of Brentford keeps a major retail outlet.

The plans originally faced much opposition from members of the local community.

Staff at nearby St Paul's school complained about the potential high prices of the apartments saying they would be marketed at a price beyond what people living in the community could afford.

There were also concerns about the lack of infrastructure to cope with the new development and the added parking and traffic problems it might cause.

The council received 18 letters in support of the new development and 315 letters objecting. There were two petitions against it with 368 and 1,495 signatories.

Many people said they thought the development would be too tall and would not fit the character of the area but councillors demanded modifications to the height and design which have now been made.

Comments on the council's consultation included: "The development is overlarge, unimaginative and bland. The height and density of the development should be reduced. The development should be set back further from High Street."

What the flats would look like

Another resident said: "The lack of parking for the residential apartments would place an unsustainable strain on other car parking spaces and
surrounding roads. Making the development car-free for its residents would inevitably increase pressure on local parking."

However, the plans were signed off on May 4 with a plethora of conditions attached, including that the developers start work within three years.

They must also ensure a system for maintaining air quality within the buildings meets minimum planning standards, ensure adequate drainage systems are in place and ensure a minimum of 22 of the dwellings are adapted for wheelchairs.

No demolition work can take place on Sundays or outside the hours of 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on Saturday.