Housing association Sovereign Network Group (SNG) has chosen Countryside Partnerships (part of Vistry Group) as the main contractor to build 575 homes and commercial units at Merrick Place in Southall.

The £157 million deal involves a development on a former industrial site next to Southall railway station, designed by Cartwright Pickard.

The four buildings, ranging from 15 to 23 storeys, will have no car parking spaces for residents but will have 926 bicycle parking spaces and two servicing bays on Merrick Road.

SNG will retain a 22-storey building with 42 homes for London Affordable Rent and 132 for Shared Ownership.

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The project will also include 2,100 sqm of office space and 318 sqm of flexible commercial space. Additionally, communal gardens and public realm spaces will be created along Merrick Road, and landscaped play and amenity areas will be developed.

David Gooch, SNG Executive Director of Development for London and Herts, said: "The Merrick Place project in Southall is a flagship scheme within SNG’s London New Homes Programme. We are delighted to have contracted with Countryside Partnerships who are also our Joint Venture Partner at Northwick Park Hospital in Brent. Together these two projects will deliver over 1,100 high quality new homes in Northwest London."

John Fitzgerald, Managing Director, Vistry South London, commented: "Merrick Place will play a key part in the wider regeneration of Ealing and we are very pleased to have been appointed by our established partner SNG for its delivery. Creating 575 new mixed-tenure homes, as well as outdoor communal spaces and new office and commercial space, will help build a thriving community for the residents of Southall and contribute to the long-term transformation of the area."

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Good or bad for Southall?

Is it much needed housing?
Is it just for commuters and not current residents?
Will all the new 512 households be non-car users?
Will all the new 512 households be cycle users?
Is it really affordable housing fotr Southall residents ?
Does Southall have the infrastructure to support this?
Has Southall been forced to put the cart before the horse for too long?