Ealing Council has approved plans to carry out investigation and remediation works at the stalled Southall Market car park development, a long-delayed scheme intended to deliver 125 affordable homes in Southall Broadway.
A decision signed off on 14 January 2026 by the cabinet member for good growth and new homes, Councillor Shital Manro, authorises officers to procure a contractor to clear the site and prepare it for future construction. The move follows the council’s repossession of the development in February 2025 after the previous contractor, Mackenzie Homes, entered administration part way through the build.
In March 2022, Councillor Lauren Wall, who was cabinet member for genuinely affordable homes said: “There’s a huge demand for homes in Ealing that local people can realistically afford. Our homebuilding programme is one of the biggest in London and by April this year, we will have smashed our ambitious target to deliver 2,500 genuinely affordable homes for the borough by May 2022.”
According to the council’s decision record, its lead consultant has advised that the site currently carries “a significant number of unknowns”. If tendered in its present condition, pricing would reflect those uncertainties, with bids “heavily populated with provisional sums” and requests for additional checks, making cost certainty difficult and prolonging the process. Before it goes out to tender, the council will ask contractors what it would take to finish the job.
The approved works will include “the removal and disposal of all redundant materials, plant, and equipment currently on site”, with the stated aim of ensuring the area is “safe, secure, [and] accessible for prospective contractors”. Council officers say unresolved risks could otherwise be priced into future bids, potentially undermining the scheme’s financial viability and leading to uncontrolled costs during construction.
The council has set out a timetable that includes safety works to scaffolding, surveys and reporting, and an eight-week tender process for site clearance. Clearance works are expected to begin in May 2026 and run into early July, with further discussions with contractors about completing the scheme later in the summer.
Demolition of the existing apartment blocks was considered but rejected. A recent inspection by cost consultants and building surveyors found that the overall construction quality was satisfactory, with no evidence of poor build quality. However, the buildings have been exposed to the elements since May 2023, and some internal materials may need to be removed because of weather-related deterioration.
The council previously approved ending its forward funding agreement with the developer and set aside an interim budget of £3.35m, including £1.7m for safety and security works. It also secured £1.4m from the project bondsman. The authority now holds full responsibility for health and safety and site security, with regular checks currently under way.
