North West London panorama from Olympia, March 2023 (click for larger image)

On a brisk March morning, we looked at the new West Hall music venue, the most advanced of the structures being built at Olympia, and viewed some of the rest of the site. As you can see, it’s still a major construction site and will be for the next couple of years.  From the roof, we could see the theatre building now coming out of the ground, other parts of the site pictured below, and a wide swathe of North West London. Below we take a detailed look at the tall buildings on the horizon.

The music venue is substantial, holding c. 4000, with easy loading access immediately to the side of what will become the stage (left of photo). Of particular interest is the design and construction of the façade, to keep any noise emanating to a minimum, bearing in mind the existing residential buildings in Blythe road opposite. The capacity makes it twice the size of the O2 Empire, and comparable to the Apollo – though that’s usually seated these days – in the guise of the Hammersmith Odeon it took around 5000 standing.

Keeping to the theme of the entertainment and hospitality, the Emberton House theatre school foundations can be seen being built at the Western end of the former Maclise road car park, of which only the (listed) outside shell remains, plus the hotel foundations on the side nearest the railway. Operators for all venues are now established, so they will be able to open for business once construction is complete – phased from next year to early/mid 2025. Click on any of the images below for larger versions.

Olympia energy centre

Olympia March 2023 – The Sky Garden

Olympia March 2023 – West Hall music venue façade

Olympia March 2023 – inside the West Hall music venue

Olympia March 2023 – View from within the new office building on Hammersmith Road

Olympia March 2023 – behind the façade of the Emberton House school and hotel (formerly the multi storey car park)

Olympia March 2023 – behind the façade of the Emberton House school and hotel (formerly the multi storey car park)

Olympia March 2023 – View across the roof of the new West Hall music venue

Tall Buildings

The North West London panorama above offers an unusual opportunity to review the tall buildings on the horizon – both existing, and those being planned and built. The most obvious are the longstanding four Charecroft estate towers immediately north (with Wembley Arch appearing in-between), the white 24-storey Edward Woods towers (minus solar cells) masking Grenfell, and the now des-res Trellick Tower to the right of the column. Farthest right, and setting the modernist standard for the ‘white heat of [Wilson’s] revolution’ in 1963, appears the now grade II listed Post Office Tower, as those of a certain generation still call it.

Somewhat dwarfing the local landmarks are the 35 storey ‘Ziggurat’ at White City and a new residential tower appearing, of the same dimension, just north of Westfield, with – ahem – just one staircase, a stone’s throw from Grenfell – and since early this year, non-compliant with new London planning regulations.

A 172m tower, approx. 46 storeys (that’s over twice the height of the Edward Woods towers, and only a fraction shy of the aforementioned PO tower), is appearing just to the right, alongside in the Westfield Residential development, demonstrating that 60 years later, ‘white heat’ has arrived at its obvious namesake, White City. There’s the ever present dominating North Acton towers to the left – one staircase too – with planning currently being sought for the following additions, having had second staircases added, forming a so-called ‘North Acton Cluster’, which Henry Peterson mentioned in his piece last year:

North Acton Cluster as proposed

• 55 storey building (227.75m AOD)
• 18 storey building (100.175m AOD)
• 18 storey building (up to 112.715m AOD)
• 50 storeys building (up to 217.7m AOD)
• 16 storeys building (up to 96.675m AOD)
• ground plus up to 50 storeys building (up to 214m AOD)

All these new overbuilt towers are direct dividends of ‘Mayoral Opportunity Areas’ with loose planning controls, often against local planner’s wishes. Imperial are hoping for a further 2000 new student accommodation ‘units’ in North Acton, and hermetically sealed ‘units’ they certainly would be. We have recently lodged an objection with OPDC to these significantly overbuilt and thoroughly inhumane and sterile North Acton Cluster proposals.