Ealing garage site could become family homes

By Demoduck Local News Desk\n\nPublished by demoduck.co.uk, 2026\n\nDerelict garages on Recreation Road in Southall could be replaced with four family-sized homes under Ealing Council’s small-sites housing programme.\n\nThe council has appointed architect-developer Oddment to work up proposals for the council-owned plot, but the scheme still needs planning permission before any homes can be built. Local residents are expected to be consulted before a planning application is submitted.\n\n## Recreation Road proposal in Southall\n\nThe site is a small piece of council-owned land currently occupied by derelict garages. Ealing Council says it has long been identified as suitable for redevelopment because it is underused and could support new housing.\n\n| Detail | Current position |\n|—|—|\n| Site | Recreation Road, Southall |\n| Current use | Derelict garages on council-owned land |\n| Proposed use | Four family-sized homes |\n| Developer appointed | Oddment |\n| Approval still needed | Planning permission |\n\nThe project forms part of the Mayor of London’s Small Sites, Small Builders programme, which is intended to give small and medium-sized developers more access to sites that larger housebuilders may not take on. Smaller developers currently account for 12% of the market, according to the council’s source material.\n\n## Planning permission has not yet been granted\n\nThe Recreation Road homes are not approved at this stage. Oddment is expected to consult nearby residents before seeking planning permission for its proposals.\n\nThat means the final design, layout and delivery timetable may still change through consultation and the formal planning process. Residents close to the site should look out for flyers, neighbour visits and later planning documents if an application is lodged.\n\n## Why Ealing is using small sites\n\nEaling Council says the scheme is part of a wider effort to turn smaller, underused plots into new homes during a deepening housing shortage in the borough. The approach is also aimed at supporting local jobs and smaller builders.\n\nCouncil leader Peter Mason said working with developers such as Oddment could help “revitalising small, often forgotten plots of land” while building homes residents want.\n\nThe Southall proposal follows a wider London pattern of councils looking again at garages, infill plots and low-use land where modest housing schemes may be possible. For wider development context, readers can compare how another local authority is setting out its homes and growth pipeline.\n\n## Oddment’s local connection\n\nOddment was established in 2024 by Ned Scott and Alex Somerville. The council says the team has strong links to Ealing, with Somerville having grown up in the borough and worked on other local projects.\n\nSomerville said the Southall scheme fitted Oddment’s focus on “design-led, characterful homes that feel rooted in their surroundings”. He said the team would begin engagement with flyers and neighbour visits so it could “listen, learn, and shape the project together”.\n\nFurther small sites elsewhere in Ealing are due to be put out to tender for development later in 2026.

Source: Ealing Council