Hillingdon councillors refused nine flats at 90 Long Lane, Ickenham on 14 October, overruling officers who warned of appeal costs. It is the third refusal.

Hillingdon councillors have refused plans for nine flats at 90 Long Lane, Ickenham, for the third time in two and a half years. The Planning Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday 14 October to turn the scheme down.

The decision went against the council’s own planning officers, who had recommended approval. They told the committee that refusing it risked an appeal the council might lose, with costs. The chair called overturning officers “not something we usually do”.

The vote is taken from the council’s own recording of the meeting. The council has not yet issued its formal decision notice.

What was proposed

The plan was to demolish the detached house at 90 Long Lane and build a block of nine flats, about two miles north-east of Uxbridge town centre. According to the officers’ report, the scheme included:

  • two one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and two three-bedroom flats
  • nine car parking spaces and 20 cycle spaces
  • mock Tudor detailing to match the house it replaces and the flats next door at No. 88

The applicant is Oracle Global Investments Ltd (application 8905/APP/2026/1385). The site is in the Ickenham Village Conservation Area.

Third time round

The committee refused a similar scheme in April 2024, with six reasons, and another in May 2025, with three. The 2025 reasons were the harm to the street and the conservation area, the overbearing effect on neighbours, and missing fire safety information.

The new version was trimmed. The report sets out the changes from the 2025 scheme:

May 2025 scheme This scheme
Width 19m 18.8m
Depth 23.5m 21.3m
Height 10m 9.8m
Rear wing set in from each side 1.2m 2.4m
Upper-floor windows in the side walls 9 3

Councillors were not persuaded. One asked officers to confirm that the width and height had each come down by only 20 centimetres. They had.

Why officers said yes

The council’s Conservation Officer objected. The officer said the existing house “makes a positive contribution” to the conservation area, and that the new building would be “significantly larger in scale, bulk and massing”. The officer recommended refusal.

Planning officers agreed there would be harm, but judged it “less than substantial”. They weighed it against eight extra homes. The report says Hillingdon “cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites”. The council’s latest position statement, from 1 April 2026, put the supply at 2.5 years. Under national policy, that shortfall gives new homes significant weight.

In a written statement read to the committee, the applicant’s agent said the shortfall amounted to 5,421 homes between 2025 and 2030.

What the committee heard

The Ickenham Residents’ Association, which had petitioned against the scheme, told councillors the changes were “derisory”. Its spokesperson said the area’s large houses in spacious plots were being eroded by “bulky flatted developments”, and that Long Lane was “often at capacity” with traffic.

Two petitions opposed the plans, one with 53 valid signatures from nearby residents and one with 23 from Long Lane residents. Five other residents objected separately.

The councillor who moved refusal cited the Conservation Officer’s view and the overbearing effect on neighbours. Officers cautioned that the reasons had to match the two earlier refusals, because introducing a new reason would add to the risk of costs. The councillor said they understood the risk, but that protecting residents outweighed it.

What it means for you

For neighbours, the house stays for now. The applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. For a refused planning application the deadline is normally six months from the date of the decision letter (GOV.UK).

Do not count on a second say. For applications made after 31 March 2026, “in most planning appeals, no one will be able to comment”, according to GOV.UK. If you commented on the application, the council must tell you within five working days if an appeal is made, and whether you can comment (GOV.UK). The application and, once issued, the decision notice are on the council’s planning register under 8905/APP/2026/1385.

The same meeting pulled the council’s own plan for 51 flats at Status Park, and approved five other schemes. Our report on the 14 October committee has every outcome, and our Uxbridge planning news page tracks the bigger schemes across the borough.

Sources