2026 Update
As you may be aware, planning permission was granted in 2024 for the One Portal Way masterplan following extensive consultation. The proposals will create a new green heart for North Acton, delivering new homes, public green space, workspace and local amenities on a brownfield site, including 384 student or co-living rooms and 1,325 residential homes for sale and rent including 35% affordable housing sitewide.
Since the original application was proposed, Imperial have identified an increased need for student accommodation. In response to this demand, we’ve updated our plans to provide more student accommodation, including at affordable rents.
By 2031/32, Imperial expect a need for up to 6,000 additional student beds in West London, making high-quality accommodation critical to attracting top talent and reinforcing London’s position as a global education hub.
We have identified a solution to make better use of two of the approved buildings to help us accommodate some of this need at One Portal Way.
Key updates to the One Portal Way masterplan
We are proposing to increase the amount of purpose-built student accommodation in the masterplan from 384 bedrooms to 1,926 bedrooms. 35% of these rooms will be provided at affordable rents as defined in the London Plan.
By doing this we can directly help to address this demand in a well-connected location, contribute to the creation of a vibrant, mixed-use community at the heart of North Acton and free up homes in the wider private rental market for local workers and families.
In order to do this, we’ve made some changes to Buildings E and F to accommodate the new student rooms. Crucially, Building E will retain the same height and appearance as previously approved, while Building F will be re-planned to make more efficient use of its floorplate and to allow for one additional storey with no increase to the building’s overall height in metres.
Is this a new planning application?
We will be submitting a Section 73 amendment application to OPDC to vary the existing permission to expand our student accommodation offer. A Section 73 application is used to amend planning applications, and this application route is widely used across London and the rest of the country.
The Section 73 application will be accompanied by plans, and a set of assessments to demonstrate the change in effects of the application, to help the Local Planning Authority to ensure all relevant matters are considered. All documents will be available for the public to view and there will be a formal statutory consultation period where residents and other stakeholders can share their feedback. Like the original application, the Section 73 application will then be heard and determined at planning committee.
Building E
In the consented masterplan, our plans included delivering 413 build-to-rent apartments in building E. We’re now proposing to provide 1,350 student accommodation rooms, without making any changes to the height and massing of the building.
As this building is within the ‘outline’ permission, at this stage we’re seeking to agree the principle of the use of the building and the number of bedrooms. As per the current planning permission, the detailed design of this building will come forward under a ‘Reserved Matters Application’. We’re confident that the proposed use can come forward very similarly to the illustrative designs for the building which were included in the original planning application. We’ll provide more information about this when we submit the upcoming planning application.
Illustrative view of building E as consented by OPDC in 2023 vs proposed.
While delivering student accommodation, the design of building E remains the same.
Building F
In the consented masterplan, our plans included 384 co-living or student accommodation rooms in building F. Given the urgent demand for student accommodation, we’re now updating our plans for building F to deliver 578 student accommodation rooms, while retaining the co-working spaces to the ground and first floors.
To increase the number of rooms we can deliver, we’ve made a small design change to building F by increasing the number of storeys from 19 to 20, while keeping the overall height and making very minor changes to the shape of the building. This means there will be no significant change to how the building looks.
Illustrative view of building F as consented by OPDC in 2023 vs proposed.
Timeline
March 2024
Planning permission granted for the One Portal Way masterplan
October 2025
Planning permission granted for a new science and tech hub as a temporary use to activate the site while the masterplan is built
January 2026
Community update on updated proposals for buildings E and F
March 2026
Targeted submission of the Section 73 Application to OPCD for the updated proposals
Mid-2026
Anticipated consideration of the application by the OPDC planning committee
Next steps
We are aiming to submit the planning application in March to OPDC who will decide whether our updated proposals are granted approval.
If you have any questions about the updates, please visit the Have Your Say tab and submit them via our Question Box!