A planning application which would have seen London Snooker, a much loved snooker hall along with a number of local shops all housed in East Acton Arcade demolished and replaced with a hotel has had its application deferred following concerns raised by local MP Dr Rupa Huq and others.
The move, saw a vote last night (17 August 2022) by Ealing councillors on the plans submitted by Avison Young on behalf of the developer Kaz Investments Ltd, in which eight voted to defer, one voted to approve and one abstained.
Jon Ball, Liberal Democrat councillor, who was one of the councillors to vote to defer the application said on twittter that the developer will need to provide: “more detail of highways impact, a proper assessment of alternative snooker facilities and details of natural light impact. Snooker hall saved for now.”
As well as London Snooker, which has 21 pool and snooker tables and is open from 10am to 2am 7 days a week, the site is also home to Al Manara Butchery, King Kebab and Eye Spy Opticians.
In a public consultation that has been running since earlier this year, 88 people have raised objections to the plans from Kaz Investments Ltd with Ealing Council on its website in advance of the council meeting.
According to Kaz Investments Ltd plans, first submitted by its agent Avison Young in January 2022, the planned hotel will be 5 storeys high and contain 129 rooms and on 3 August 2022, Kaz Investments, through its agent submitted a briefing note. It claims that more than £500,000 a year in revenue will be generated to local businesses through hotel residents eating, drinking and using services in the area once the hotel is up and running. It also says it will create 40 jobs at the hotel.
In her letter to Ealing Council planning committee members, Dr Huq said: “I cannot support this development as vibrant businesses within the existing structure who have spent decades building themselves up there face an uncertain future. They have not been given any assurance of where they can relocate to.”
She added: “If the council were to assist the businesses, this could be a much more attractive proposal. While I accept that the building is not the most flashy or modern, within it there is a well-loved optician with 3000 registered customers and a snooker hall which has unique types of tables unavailable anywhere else in London. Let’s not throw them under the bus in our haste.”
