Developer Makes Renewed Attempt To Demolish Former Pissarro Restaurant

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Residents say they will continue their campaign against a residential development

A renewed attempt is being made by a developer to demolish the former Pissarro restaurant to turn it into residential accommodation.

Gort Investments, which has been seeking to knock down the former restaurant and turn the site into a three-storey residential complex sought to demolish the building in January.

It has now submitted a new application to Hounslow Council asking if prior permission is required as to the method of demolition of the buildings. The plan is to knock down the building on April 1st.

Local residents are opposed to the proposed plans for six two-bedroom apartments, two three-bed duplex family homes and a two-bedroom penthouse. A statement from residents said today: "The demolition plans for a 3 week demolition process submitted do not address any issues of how this process will affect this highly complex site.

"These include the necessary party wall agreements with the properties either side, access plan for the demolition vehicles via the narrow private roads and Health and Safety issues affecting those properties and residents around the site, not to mention users of the River Walkway which has to stay open during daylight hours."

The picture shows the design for green roofs and private gardens

They say they will request that Hounslow Council establish the feasibility of how Gort Investments propose to restore the site afterwards.

"They have already presented three plans for the site, none of which reached Planning Committee," commented one resident.

As part of the Recent Localism legislation a group of residents, from the wider Corney Reach area, have submitted a renewed bid to have the former Pissarros listed as an Asset of Community Value.

The current proposed development would be set across three storeys with private ground level and roof-gardens with green roofs. A total of ten car-park spaces have been included along with cycle storage.

Corney Reach Way eastern view

The developers are hoping to start work later this year if approval is granted.

The restaurant closed in 2013 and a previous application to redevelop the restaurant into residential units was turned down in 2014. The plans for the Chiswick riverside site had been controversial and nearly 200 residents had opposed a bid to extend the existing site and build eight two-bedroom flats with parking spaces and bicycle storage.

Pissarro, which was named in honour of the 'Father of French Impressionism', Camille Pissarro (who painted many local scenes in the 1890s), opened in the late 1990s when it was owned by local investors. The restaurant has had a chequered history ,and at one stage suffered a serious fire. It closed down in January 2014 with management saying there was not enough business in that area to make it a commercial success.

March 10, 2016