New Plans to Be Made for Homebase Brentford
Back to the drawing board as Tesco site development scrapped
Visualisation of the Homebase Brentford site from the recently updated project web site. Picture: Berkeley
September 11, 2026
Berkeley has confirmed that its long-trailed redevelopment of the Tesco site in Osterley will not go ahead. Instead, the developer will return with a revised planning application for the neighbouring Homebase site, which has stood vacant since the store was demolished in late 2024.
The decision represents a major reset of the Syon Lane Future masterplan, the combined redevelopment of both the Tesco and Homebase plots that secured planning permission in December 2023. Berkeley says “changing market conditions” mean Tesco will remain in operation, forcing the company to rethink how the Homebase site can be brought forward independently. A new planning application is now required because the approved scheme was designed as a single, interlinked development.
The removal of the requirement to deliver a replacement Tesco superstore – previously planned with 400 parking spaces and integrated community facilities including space for a GP surgery – means the design will change, though Berkeley has not yet confirmed how radically. CGI images on the new project website show tall buildings, but the developer has not reused the visualisations from the earlier masterplan. It remains unclear whether the new submission will be a lightly amended version of the existing design or a complete re-imagining of the site. Berkeley has been asked to clarify and has not yet responded.
The original Homebase plans featured five main residential blocks, including towers of 17 and 15 storeys. These heights were among the most contentious elements of the scheme, prompting strong opposition from local residents and the Osterley & Wyke Green Residents’ Association (OWGRA). The combined Tesco–Homebase application proposed 2,150 housing units across 16 tower blocks, rising up to 17 storeys. OWGRA argued that development should be limited to six storeys to reflect the surrounding built environment and the height of the Grade II listed Gillette building opposite.
A visualisation the already approved scheme for Homebase Brentford viewed from the Great West Road
Although Hounslow Council approved the masterplan in 2021, the Secretary of State called in the application, leading to a 15-day public inquiry in 2022. The Planning Inspector recommended refusal, but the Secretary of State ultimately granted permission. A later amendment to the Homebase element, adding additional staircases to meet post-Grenfell fire safety requirements for buildings above 18 metres, was approved in February 2025. Since then, no progress has been visible on the ground, fuelling speculation that the scheme had become financially unviable.
OWGRA says Berkeley’s announcement confirms what residents had suspected. The group welcomed the news that the major tower-led scheme has been shelved, arguing that a moderate-scale development could have been built and occupied by now had their proposals been adopted. They continue to call for a maximum height of six storeys and say an Aldi store on the Homebase site “would be most welcome”. The association is urging residents to take part in the new consultation and set out what they want the site to provide, including preferred types of commercial space.
A visualisation of part of the already approved development on Syon Lane
Berkeley says it is now working with Hounslow Council, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and local stakeholders to shape plans the Homebase plot. The company has appointed landscape architects Gillespies to lead the public realm strategy, with early suggestions that the site could be reopened to the public, improving pedestrian links from Syon Lane station and creating new green spaces. The developer emphasises that the brownfield land sits within the wider Great West Corridor “Golden Mile” Opportunity Area, which aims to deliver 25,000 jobs, 14,000 homes and £7.5bn of investment over 15 years.
Public consultation on the revised Homebase plans will begin later this month. An online session, which you can register for here, will take place on 28 September from 6pm to 7.30pm, followed by an in-person event on 29 September at West Thames College in Isleworth. Residents can also submit views by email to homebasebrentford@berkeleygroup.co.uk. Berkeley anticipates submitting a new planning application in the first quarter of 2027.
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