Imperial College London is to seek permission to increase student accommodation at its One Portal Way redevelopment in North Acton from 384 bedrooms to 1,926 through a new planning submission.
Planning permission was granted in 2024 with Imperial saying the scheme would create a new green heart for North Acton, delivering new homes, public green space, workspace and shops on a brownfield site.
The university said it plans to bring forward the changes through a Section 73 application to vary the existing consent, a process used to amend an approved scheme.
Imperial said the submission would be accompanied by updated plans and technical assessments, which would be published during a statutory consultation period allowing residents and other stakeholders to comment before the proposal is considered by Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.
Imperial states: “Since the original application was approved, Imperial’s needs have evolved, requiring more student bedrooms than are currently approved. By 2031/32, we expect a need for up to 6,000 additional student beds in West London, making high-quality accommodation critical to attracting top talent and reinforcing London’s position as a global education hub.
“We will therefore shortly be submitting a Section 73 application which will seek to increase the amount of purpose-built student accommodation in the masterplan from 384 bedrooms to 1,926 bedrooms. 35% of these rooms will be provided at affordable rents as defined in the London Plan.
“Crucially this can be done without increasing height and with only limited changes to the building’s exterior.”
Imperial said the additional student rooms would be delivered through changes to buildings E and F in its masterplan. It said building E would retain the same height and appearance as previously approved and would contain 1,350 student rooms, while building F would be increased from 384 to 578 student rooms. Imperial said building F would rise from 19 to 20 storeys but with no increase in overall height.
Imperial said it aims to submit the Section 73 application to the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation in March 2026, with a decision expected later in the year.
