Harrow ‘Tesco Towers’ plan for 500 homes and new supermarket

London housing association Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) has been holding public consultations on its Greenmead Place scheme for the Tesco site in Station Road, Harrow, since 2022.

It wants to demolish the existing superstore and replace it with 504 homes in ten tower blocks from four to 13 storeys high, and finally submitted an application to Harrow Council last month.

The plans, dubbed Tesco Towers by critics, have been met with fierce opposition. A Change.org petition submitted by campaign group ‘No To Tesco Towers’ during the initial consultation stage has been signed by almost 2,500 people.

The group raised concerns over the scale of the development, lack of "truly affordable" housing, and the impact on roads, public transport, schools and health services.

Some blame the Conservative-run council for going back on a 2022 promise to ban new tower blocks, but that pledge only referred to the suburbs.

A CGI of the new Tesco that could be built following the demolition of the existing supermarket. Image Credit: Notting Hill Genesis

The council's planning committee chair and deputy leader Cllr Marilyn Ashton said the application is ‘nothing to do with the council’. She said: “We don’t own this site. It’s not up to us what they put in, it’s up to them.”

Cllr Ashton added: “We never promised that we wouldn’t allow any high-rise buildings to be built in the whole of Harrow. We said we would protect the suburbs, and we are. We are not happy about this but you have to be realistic about your chances.”

The site sits within the borough’s ‘Opportunity Area’, designated by the Greater London Authority (GLA) as a key location with potential for new homes, jobs, and infrastructure.

Cllr Marilyn Ashton said if development doesn't go ahead in the Opportunity Area then it would have to go in the suburbs. Image Credit: Harrow Council

Harrow needs more housing and Cllr Ashton warned that if development didn’t happen in the Opportunity Area, it would have to be done in the suburbs.

She said: “It’s in the London Plan, which we must conform to because otherwise we won’t get our Local Plan adopted.

"It’s always about the art of the possible, it’s always about achieving a Local Plan that’s pretty damn good and protects most of Harrow from inappropriately tall buildings.”

NHG proposes 35 per cent of the homes be affordable. Documents submitted suggest the two-phase development is an opportunity to build homes on a brownfield site rather than on green belt land.

The first phase would include 233 homes – including all of the affordable housing in five towers from seven to 13 storeys – and the construction of the new Tesco store.

Phase 2 would comprise 271 private sale homes – in five blocks ranging between four and 13 storeys – and the demolition of the existing superstore.

If approved, a Tesco store would be open throughout.

A spokesperson for NHG said: “We have conducted several rounds of consultation and fully engaged with the community to ensure their views were heard, which resulted in several changes, including a reduction in height and density, minimising the impact on neighbouring streets.”

They added: “Beyond new homes, the wider community will benefit from a new and improved Tesco store offering a customer café and extra jobs, as well as a new pocket park and green spaces throughout the site.”

If the plan is recommended by council officers, Cllr Ashton expects the application to come before the planning committee over the summer.