A new £1,000,000,000 neighbourhood is coming to London — but at what cost to locals?

‘I live down the road from Southall now,’ says Sharan Dhaliwal, who grew up in the West London neighbourhood. ‘But I visit almost daily for an intake of samosas and a nostalgic walk among the clothing stores.’

Journalist Sharan, 41, was born and raised in Southall, which she calls a ‘haven of migrant communities’.

Dubbed ‘Little India’, from the 1950s onwards it slowly became one of the largest communities of South Asians in London. By 1982, it was reported that 65% of Southall’s 83,000 residents were Asian.

‘It was my grandad’s brother, Pritam Singh Sangha, who opened the first South Asian corner store in Southall in 1954,’ says Sharan.

In recent years however, Southall has changed drastically. The arrival of the Elizabeth Line has made it a home-buying hotspot — perhaps why it’s been chosen as the location for a whole new neighbourhood: The Green Quarter.

The £1billion regeneration project will cover 88 acres, including 13 acres of parkland. The first of four neighbourhoods planned is Quarter Yards, with 1,273 homes, and more than 105,00 sq ft of commercial space.

Managed by Berkeley Group, the Brickfields development, the first building to launch in Quarter Yards, offers one, two and three-bedroom homes. One-bedroom options, available from late in 2027, will be on the market for £385,000, while the larger homes are priced at up to £730,000.

There’s more to the village-style Quarter Yards than just places to live too, from bougie cafés, shops, and restaurants – or, if you fancy getting your 40 lengths in, a private members club complete with a swimming pool and sauna.

The spirit of Southall

Sharan shares her memories of growing up in an area that she says ‘has a deep history, with music, joy, blood-shed and faith.’

She says: ‘When neo-Nazi skinheads killed 18-year-old Gurdip Singh Chaggar in 1976, we saw one of the largest movements of youth-led activism in West London. We stood up and we fought. Because we lived there – it was our home too. 

‘It was where Misty in Roots, a British roots reggae band, was formed. And in 1976, they fought in the streets against the far-right, suffering attacks from the police – Clarence Baker, a member of the band, was beaten and put into a coma.

‘This and last year, I have been to pro-Palestinian and anti-racist protests in Southall, bumping shoulders with the uncles and aunties who remember standing up to the far-right back in the 70s.

‘It is where I learned about multiple faiths co-existing. Although there are always tensions wherever you live, there was always a promise of a better future.’

How gentrification has shaped Southall

Since the Elizabeth Line was announced, way back in 2016, buildings have shot up around Southall Station.

But Sharan says that after the initial ‘buzz of excitement’, gentrification is taking its toll.

According to a 2023 study from Generation Rent, more than four in five South Asian renters living in Southall have struggled to find an affordable home to rent in their local area.

And when it comes to The Green Quarter specifically, 71 locals out of 461 who took part in a public consultation said they’d like to see the housing options made more affordable.

‘The generation who came here and opened grocers, worked at Heathrow, in factories, fought the far-right, protected their families, built the economy — they’re being erased from their own history,’ Sharan says.

‘While change is welcomed, so is sensitivity and care, but that’s rarely ever on the to-do list of property developers.

‘Southall is a big part of England’s history in migration, solidarity, culture and family.

‘It should never be forgotten or erased with big money making development schemes. Because when we do, we lose a part of England’s history.’

‘This popular neighbourhood is open to all’

According to developers, Berkeley, the local community is being factored into the development of this new area.

Of the 3,475 homes, 1,042 are affordable, which, according to Zoopla, is defined as ‘housing that offers a subsidised route to home ownership, or subsidised rents for people on low incomes.’

A spokesperson from Berkeley tells Metro: ‘At The Green Quarter, we’re working with the local community and council to transform a fenced-off gasworks into a welcoming and inclusive new part of Southall, and have already completed our first 500 affordable homes, with close to 200 more under construction.

‘This is more new affordable homes than any other site in Ealing.’

The firm adds that ‘this popular neighbourhood is open to all,’ with ‘children’s play spaces, a thriving community hub used by many local groups and charities, cafes, restaurants and sports facilities,’ all of which are ‘designed with local people to meet Southall’s needs.’

Future phases are to bring even more local benefits, including 13 acres of biodiverse parkland, designed with London Wildlife Trust.

‘This project is also making a major financial contribution to improve Southall’s local infrastructure and services, as well as providing much-needed apprenticeships and local job,’ said the spokesperson.

Berkeley also maintains that while affordable homebuilding has fallen sharply across London, the Green Quarter ‘stands out as one of the few sites which is maintaining supply.’

According to data from the Greater London Authority, work on just 347 affordable homes was started between April and June 2025 across London. Berkeley says that close to half of these were located on the Green Quarter.

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