New Morrisons Opens Despite Row Over Traffic Access

Council says Ballymore failed to implement agreed scheme

Balloons festoon the entrance to the new Morrisons

September 28, 2023

The new Morrisons supermarket has finally opened on Brentford High Street despite a dispute between the council and Ballymore over traffic management at the site.

The council has accused Ballymore of a failure to implement a safe traffic management system which was agreed as part of the original planning permission in 2015. It raised the issue with the developer in response to concerns raised by residents about road safety. Money secured through a section 106 agreement was supposed to pay for the layout to manage traffic flow between the Ham and Brentford High Street which allows access to the supermarket’s new car park.

The council says that it has stipulated that the temporary traffic signals must operate in a way which maintains traffic flow and highway safety on the High Street and The Ham and they will remain in place until the permanent traffic signals are installed, or the council has confirmed that they are no longer required.

Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development said, “We requested that Ballymore provide a firm undertaking that they would not open the store without adequate measures being put in place to ensure safety of all road users and without the Council having confirmed that it was content with the adequacy of those measures. We are pleased that Ballymore has listened to these concerns and that they have undertaken not to permit the new Morrisons supermarket to open to the public on Thursday 28 September unless a safe and appropriate temporary solution regarding highway works is in place which adequately mitigates the risk to highway safety and public safety and that this has been agreed by the Council.

“The Council welcomes Ballymore’s commitment to ensuring that the Brentford development is safe for the public and we will continue to require Ballymore to closely monitor the effectiveness of the temporary measures to ensure that they sufficiently mitigate our concerns regarding highway safety.

The side entrance to Morrisons on Brent Way

A spokesperson for Ballymore said, “Public safety is of paramount importance to Ballymore and a matter we take very seriously. A proposal for temporary traffic control has been submitted to Hounslow Council for their approval, this involves a temporary traffic light system, constant active monitoring, additional personnel on site, and additional temporary signage to ensure the safe flow of traffic. This temporary installation will be completed on Wednesday 27th September 2023.”

The council says it will continue to pressure Ballymore to implement a permanent solution as soon as possible.

Despite the row the new supermarket opened to the public on Thursday (28 September) with Buzz, the Brentford FC mascot doing the honours. The new store is a three-minute walk from the previous site near Half Acre.

Immediately inside the entrance there is a ‘Market Kitchen’ selling takeaway food. The menu includes a choice of wraps, including breakfast options, a selection of pies, jacket potatoes, toasties, rice bowls, pizza and burgers.

Access to Brent Way remains closed

In the aisle opposite the Market Kitchen there is a wide selection of flowers by the lifts to the car park. As you progress through the store, which is much larger than it appears from the outside, there are specialist butcher and fishmonger counters as part of the ‘Market Street’ with the rest of the unit laid out in a similar fashion to the former premises.

The store also includes a pharmacy and stocks a home range of cookware and soft furnishings.

Daniel Daly, Morrisons Brentford Store Manager, said, “Brentford is currently undergoing a huge regeneration project by Ballymore and we know the residents in the area have been eagerly anticipating the opening of this store at the heart of the town.

“Today, they got a brand-new Morrisons store, with skilled food making at the very heart of it and plenty of useful services. We hope customers will love this new store as much as they did the last and we look forward to welcoming them.”

Morrisons view from the High Street

Richard Pearce, Senior Development Manager at Ballymore, added, “We are delighted to welcome Morrisons revamped store to The Brentford Project, a new neighbourhood shopping and leisure destination. The diverse range of stores from well-established household names to new creative enterprises, sit well alongside the newly relocated Morrisons and the addition of the new Market Kitchen as part of this concept. Our overarching aim for the Brentford Project development is to re-connect the convenience retail-led high street with the vibrant leisure-led waterfront including cafes, restaurants, coffee shops and cinema. Whilst, The Lanes, the third area within the project, links these areas and showcases a broad range of small boutique, independent and emerging entrepreneurs, and local retailers.

“This Morrisons launch represents an important next step for Ballymore and its journey, realising the community-focused long-term vision and most importantly, responding to strong desire for this much-loved brand to remain in Brentford; serving the every-day needs of residents and locals.”