Proposal near Heathrow airport comes as developers explore new ways to fit logistics facilities into the crowded airport property market

Ambitious plans for a 175,000 sqm (1.9 million sq ft) underground warehouse near Heathrow airport go before planners tomorrow and look set to get the go-ahead.

Formal Investments has submitted a proposal to extract gravel from beneath the surface of around 45 hectares (110 acres) of disused land in London’s Hounslow area at Rectory Farm, Heston, alongside The Parkway (A312) and Bath Road (A4).

The excavation will be filled with around 175,000 sqm of 9m-high warehouse floorspace, which will create around 2,500 new job opportunities, the developer said. A new public park – “the largest new park in West London for more than 100 years” – will be created at ground level on the site, which is less than 1.5 km from Heathrow Airport and close to junction 3 of the M4 motorway.

The proposal comes as developers look at creative ways to fit warehousing into the crowded airport property market. Along with underground warehousing, developers are considering multi-storey warehouse developments, Lloyd’s Loading List sister publication SHD Logistics reports. Indeed, multi-storey air cargo handling developments at Heathrow airport include the X2 facility and British Airways World Cargo’s Ascentis building.

The London Borough of Hounslow rejected similar proposals in 2015 because insufficient information had been provided to address some of the planning issues raised by the proposals. The intervening period has been used to ensure the current submission now addresses these issues in full, Formal Investments said.

A report from Hounslow borough planners said the “very special circumstances” of the new park meant they were not raising objections to the proposal, SHD Logistics reports, although the final decision lies with councillors.

Formal Investments director Nicholas King said: “We are pleased to have worked so constructively with Hounslow’s planners and look forward to the planning committee considering our exciting proposal to create both economic growth and a high quality green public space free for all to enjoy.”

Formal Investments said the plans had already been widely consulted on, including with the local MP and local Councillors, nearby residents, community groups and the wider Hounslow community, Transport for London and the Greater London Authority.

A public consultation questionnaire generated 664 responses that were overwhelmingly positive, Formal Investments said.

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