Plans for a large twin tower building in Chiswick have been ‘put on hold’ following huge dissaproval.

The revelation, made by Ruth Cadbury MP for Brentford and Isleworth, was news which provided some relief to a church packed with residents at a public meeting to discuss the skyscraper known as ‘Chiswick Curve’ on Wednesday (April 27).

The ‘ugly’ 32-storey tower proposed by Starbones Ltd at Chiswick Roundabout, on the Chiswick and Brentford border, has already been met by 1,400 signatures in an online petition bemoaning the plans and Hounslow Council has received more than 550 objection letters.

Councillor Steve Curran, leader of Hounslow Council, said: “The application to go forward with plans for the Curve is currently on hold while discussions continue between Hounslow Council and the developers.

“There is no proposed date for a decision. Hounslow Council is undertaking a review of the Local Plan and is looking at this area in the first instance.

“The review will assess the impact of potential developments on different sites in that area. The application will not be taken forward for decision until the review work and assessments have been carried out.”

'Horse before the cart approach'

Starbones' proposals for high-rise housing at the Chiswick Roundabout site adjacent to the M4. Proposals to improve pedestrian and cycle links

The meeting was organised by a trio of resident groups including Brentford Community Council, the Kew Society and the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society at St Michael and All Angels Church, Bedford Park, Chiswick.

As a gateway to the Golden Mile, major concerns about building 320 flats in a high-rise building include increased harm in an already highly polluted and congested part of west London; the visual impact on parks and natural heritage sites such as Kew Gardens; as well as impact on the public transport with Gunnersbury station already struggling with capacity.

In addition, Marie Rabouhans of the West Chiswick & Gunnersbury Society highlighted the lack of infrastructure - schools, medical, public transport, shops - in the proposals to support the council’s piecemeal “cart before the horse” approach.

Some of the issues had been raised at a previous public meeting held ahead of the deadline for residents to have their say, which fell in February.

A campaign opposing the plans were launched by Turnham Green ward councillors earlier this year.

A number of other key speakers addressed the meeting including Andrea Lee a healthy air campaigner for ClientEarth who spoke about the public health dangers of air pollution on the M4/A4 corridor which is already one of the most polluted areas in London.

She said: “Because it is an invisible issue, politicians had been let off the hook. Road traffic, especially diesel, was the major source of pollution. Government at all levels, including the new Mayor and councils must be challenged to meet the legal limits.”

Meanwhile Barbara Weiss, architect and co-founder of the Skyline Campaign talked about more human-scale projects rather than skyscrapers and suggested very tall buildings were ‘all about the money’.

Starbones' proposals for high-rise housing at the Chiswick Roundabout site adjacent to the M4