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Brent Council\u2019s planning committee has approved plans to replace the former Matalan and adjacent car park on Cricklewood Broadway with purpose\u2011built student accommodation of up to 826 beds across two blocks up to nine storeys, a decision that has drawn at least 30 formal objections from residents and campaigners who say the scheme sacrifices long\u2011term housing and low\u2011cost retail for transient beds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Brent Council has approved plans to replace the former Matalan store and adjacent car park on Cricklewood Broadway with a purpose\u2011built student accommodation scheme despite formal local objections and campaigners\u2019 protests. The approved scheme would redevelop a 9,100m\u00b2 town\u2011centre site into two blocks rising to a maximum of nine storeys and is described in planning papers as a strategic response to growing student housing demand across London. The application was considered at the council\u2019s planning committee on 4 August 2025. <\/p>\n
The proposal submitted to the council envisages up to 826 student bed spaces across two blocks with heights varying between three and nine storeys. Architects\u2019 plans show around two main building volumes arranged to create a pedestrian route between them; the scheme replaces a consented residential scheme approved in 2023. Developers and design teams note the site\u2019s proximity to public transport \u2014 approximately a ten\u2011minute walk from Cricklewood station \u2014 which they argue places it within convenient travel time of multiple higher\u2011education hubs across London.<\/p>\n
The accommodation mix supplied in planning documents and media briefings indicates the majority of rooms will be en\u2011suite, arranged in clusters, with the remainder provided as studios and a small number of accessible or companion rooms. One industry summary set out roughly 662 en\u2011suite cluster bedspaces organised into 82 clusters, with the remainder configured as studios and accessibility\u2011compliant units intended to meet equality requirements.<\/p>\n
There is a degree of confusion in publicly available material about the precise developer and delivery arrangements. Architects\u2019 Journal and BB Partnership\u2019s project documents identify the project as being commissioned by Sentinel Security and managed by Home Is London, with BB Partnership acting as architect; other local planning summaries and community trackers record Ziser London as the applicant listed on recent planning filings. BB Partnership\u2019s own project page also describes an alternative or earlier mixed\u2011use\/co\u2011living concept for parts of the Cricklewood Broadway\/Hassop Road area, emphasising a different mix of co\u2011living, affordable homes, and retained industrial floorspace.<\/p>\n
Locally, at least 30 formal objections were lodged with the council and resident groups have been active in campaigning against the conversion of the low\u2011cost retail site. Objectors cited the scheme\u2019s height and massing \u2014 warning it would \u201cdominate the skyline\u201d \u2014 and argued student accommodation does not increase permanent housing supply for families, key workers or those on council waiting lists. A Brent resident on Mark Twain Drive told Architects\u2019 Journal the development was \u201ctotally unsuitable for the local area\u201d and that transient student occupancy \u201cdoes not support the borough\u2019s broader housing needs.\u201d Community groups and local blogs also recorded concerns about the loss of an inexpensive retailer and the potential additional strain on bus and local services.<\/p>\n
Opponents point to the 2023 consent for a three\u2011building residential scheme that would have delivered 238 homes \u2014 a proposal that attracted more guarded local support despite reservations about height and density. Residents have contrasted that consented residential offer, which they view as providing longer\u2011term housing benefit, with the new student\u2011led brief that supplies beds rather than traditional family homes or affordable rented housing.<\/p>\n
Developers and the design team have defended the plans. BB Partnership\u2019s director Julian Williams said the scheme offered an opportunity \u201cto revitalise a key site in Cricklewood, delivering high\u2011quality student accommodation while enhancing the local urban environment,\u201d in comments issued alongside the planning submission. The practice and project team emphasise sustainability measures embedded in the design \u2014 including air\u2011source heat pumps, bio\u2011solar roof elements and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery \u2014 and claim those measures take the scheme beyond minimum London Plan carbon performance requirements.<\/p>\n
A student\u2011accommodation demand assessment accompanying the application argues Brent and London as a whole face a widening shortfall between student housing supply and demand, and positions the Cricklewood site as a \u201cstrategic location\u201d within a 45\u2011minute travel time of scores of higher\u2011education institutions. The developers have cited regulatory changes \u2014 including post\u2011Grenfell secondary escape and fire\u2011safety requirements \u2014 as a factor informing the decision to pursue a student housing scheme rather than the earlier private\u2011residential block.<\/p>\n
The application was considered through the council\u2019s formal planning process (planning reference 25\/0413) with materials, committee reports and the webcast of the planning meeting made publicly available by Brent Council. Local groups such as NorthWestTWO have kept running records of the application, published images and collated community responses; they continue to press for greater clarity about affordable housing provision, retail replacement, public\u2011realm benefits and transport impacts.<\/p>\n
The approval marks a significant shift for the edge\u2011of\u2011town centre site: supporters argue it supplies much\u2011needed specialist housing stock and brings vacant retail floorspace back into active use, while critics say the social value and permanence of conventional housing would better serve long\u2011term borough needs. With decision documents and committee minutes now on the public record, the next stage will be scrutiny of discharge\u2011of\u2011condition applications and any planning obligations to secure mitigation measures for local impacts; campaigners have indicated they will monitor whether the promised sustainability and community benefits are delivered in practice.<\/p>\n