The scheme has taken four years to come to fruition but got planning permission from Brent council on Thursday last week.
It will include 3700 new homes, of which 40% will be affordable, plus offices, a cinema, shops and a £20m revamp of Wembley Arena near the football stadium.
Proposals to develop the area were drawn up in 2000 by architect and masterplanner Richard Rogers Partnership for site owner Wembley plc. Two years later, the site was sold to developer Quintain Estates before the proposals had been developed in detail.
Quintain submitted plans for outline permission to Brent council last October, and began a consultation process.
A council spokesman attributed the long time frame to the scheme's complexity.
"We needed Quintain to thoroughly consider the infrastructure needs and consult residents on every aspect," he said.
The developer is to spend £35m on the residential component of the development, which will be designed by PRP Architects. Of the 1480 affordable homes, 17% will be for social rent, 21% intermediate rent and 2% are off-site, high-rent family homes.
A section 106 planning gain agreement obliges Quintain to contribute: £9m to education provision, £2.25m for community facilities, £1.5m for training local people to work on the construction of the scheme and more to security and transport improvements.
The application will be referred to the mayor of London and the Government Office for London but a source close to the project said he expected the scheme to go through the planning process without glitches.
"It's an important regeneration project and politicians want to make it happen," he said.
The Greater London Authority has set a target of 50% affordable housing on new projects but has made exceptions in the past.
Source
Housing Today
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