Retail giant John Lewis has gained consent for revisions to plans for a major build-to-rent development in London's Ealing, a month after it called time on its plans to build 10,000 rental homes in the UK.
In February the department store group, which owns the Waitrose supermarket business, said it was bringing to an end its aspirations to move into the build-to-rent space citing “a fundamental shift in the economic conditions” since it launched the business arm in 2020.
Since launching, its BTR team has secured planning consents for approximately 1,000 homes. At West Ealing, where it was proposing to build 428 homes in high rise blocks above the Waitrose, a public inquiry decision recognised the need for car parking to maintain supermarket viability, establishing a precedent with wider relevance for grocers pursuing mixed-use intensification. There had been significant opposition to its plans for 19, 17, 15 and 10-storey towers to be built on the existing store and car park which is situated by the Great Western Rail and Elizabeth Line railways.
At Bromley, the team secured the borough’s first build-to-rent consent. A scheme in Reading, on a disused former industrial site, received unanimous consent in October 2025.
The team also took on management of four Aberdeen Investments-owned buildings in Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham and Stratford, previously managed by JLL, in a £500 million joint venture. The group said it had driven a 15% uplift in net operating income across the portfolio. CoStar News understands that Aberdeen has now launched the process to find a new operating partner to replace John Lewis.
The newly-consented changes are these will see 37 additional homes, including around 10 affordable homes. There are also approved internal layout changes and adjusted floor-to-floor heights to accommodate the additional homes, a podium garden redesign to reduce stepping and improve accessibility and a relocation of the Waitrose servicing yard from first floor to ground floor. There is also a new pedestrian entrance to Waitrose and 14 additional car parking spaces. The energy strategy has been revised to use individual apartment heat pumps and a café has been relocated from Alexandria Road to activate the public square.
It it is unclear how John Lewis wants to take forward the plans, or if the plans will be taken forward. The group will not want to sell the Waitrose, which is one of its few London sites.
In a statement last month the company explained: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in terms of progress with three planning applications and managing third-party BTR homes for residents to a high standard. We will fulfill our existing management contracts at four BTR sites as part of a responsible transition out of the business.”