The
Ealing Broadway Centre shopping mall with its own car park and office
space, was opened in 1985. It houses Ealing Library, which
has
recently undergone major refurbishment, and a Virgin Active gym. The
'anchor' stores are Tesco Metro, Marks & Spencer and Primark.
There
are 80 stores operating in the centre but there are also several empty
retail units.
The
centre, bounded in the north by The Broadway and to the west by High
Street, is owned by Legal & General. The site is located within
the
Ealing Town Centre Conservation Area.
The
centre was conceived after almost 20 years´ conflict with the
GLC
which in the 1960s proposed a town centre plan incorporating a bypass
along Mattock Lane. This was only defeated after a sustained campaign
by local residents.
The
architectural style of the centre is human scale, low rise and uses red
brick - a heritage feature of Ealing's Victorian villas and Edwardian
residential terraces. It fits in with its surroundings and is defined
as a "locally listed" building in Ealing's Unitary Development Plan,
which means that it is of particular significance for conservation,
where the Council has a legal duty to "preserve or enhance" the
character of the area. .
In
the period up to 2008 the Centre saw a decline in its prosperity, and
with the threat of the opening of Westfield later that year the owners
tried to find a buyer,
but after a potential sale fell through Legal & General
committed
to retaining it and has sought new tenants to restore its popularity.
Some contentious alterations (such as the demolition of the original
first floor arcaded building - see illustration above) have taken
place, and L&G has found new occupants for some of the shops,
though there has been concern that the direction has been somewhat
"down market".
The
whole site remains identified in Ealing's emerging Local Devlopment Plan as one for future redevelopment. It
is critical for the future of Ealing Town Centre that any new plan sets
a good example so that owners who want to re-develop their sites have
an understanding of what is acceptable and what is not.