Residents are angry over Ealing council approved plans to build more than 200 homes that could 'jeopardise' an allotment site.

Under plans for the continued regeneration of the South Acton Estate by housing association L&Q, 215 homes are due to be built.  

The tower blocks range between three and nine storeys and a further eight town houses in Enfield Road will be refurbished.

The Jerome Tower Allotments, which back onto the building site, will be re-figured to create micro-plots and communal outdoor spaces.

Residents have expressed anger and dismay at the approved development and said the shade cast by the blocks will severely affect plant growth on the allotments.

The plans were opposed by ten people, with one resident saying: "Any further increase in height of these houses on Enfield Road would adversely impact the allotments in particular, and also the houses on Heathfield Road which back onto them, by reducing sunlight and increasing shade – which would affect plant growth – and invading privacy."

Another resident raised concerns that the reconfigured allotments would lose their intended purpose under the plans, and said: "The allotments seem more likely to become just a picnic area, especially if seating areas are provided."

A third allotment user was particularly angry about the height of the proposed tower blocks, and wrote: "I'm shocked that Ealing Council has so little consideration for the fact that I have worked hard on a productive plot for 12 years and it is now in jeopardy (along with several others) because of the height of the proposed blocks which will rise up to the south."

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Work on the development is due to begin this summer and completed by 2024.

A spokesperson for Acton Gardens said: "As with every phase of Acton Gardens, the views of residents have been central to developing our plans.

"We consulted extensively with the Jerome Allotment holders when developing our proposals for the latest phases, including three site visits, two online exhibitions, presentation boards erected on hoardings, alongside email and individual communication.

"The allotments are a much valued part of the estate, and the latest phase will see us provide a larger area for these – incorporating micro plots – so that even more residents can get involved with growing their own fruit and vegetables.

"We carried out a detailed daylight/sunlight analysis of the impact of the latest phases in line with Royal Horticultural Society Guidelines.

"This demonstrated that the new homes will have a minimal impact on light levels reaching the allotments. In fact, some allotments will be re-provided in a different location, and will actually enjoy even more sunlight as a result."

A spokesperson for Ealing council said: "The development approved by the planning committee on December 15, 2021 would see the demolition of the Jerome Tower, a 17-storey building, replaced by new buildings of varying heights from three to nine storeys.

"The committee, in making the decision, considered the impact on the allotments, including sunlight and ability to grow plants and security to existing homes."