The masterplan comprises a mixed use scheme of employment, residential and commercial uses . It proposes the refurbished office buildings (some locally listed); new employment spaces at a variety of scales; an active new pedestrian route (The Groove) connecting through the site and towards the town centre, residential units above; cafes, bars, leisure and arts spaces along the pedestrian route to encourage integration with the wider Hayes community; re-provided car parking (in from surface to phased multi storey); and a sequence of planned landscaped spaces (squares, groves and playgrounds) linked by the new pedestrian route.
The development of The Old Vinyl Factory will provide a wide package of employment and economic benefits for the local area and beyond. It will meet local and London-wide objectives for employment creation and seeks to: Bring around 4,000 jobs on a permanent and long-term basis back to the once-teeming Old Vinyl Factory; Provide jobs particularly in those sectors that offer the greatest potential for growth – which are presently under-represented locally and for which there are a large number of jobseekers; Provide business floorspace and employment opportunities at a strategic location – close to London (at a proposed Crossrail station) and Heathrow airport; and Reposition The Old Vinyl Factory as a regional employment hub – for the first time since the heyday of bands such as The Beatles could be linked to the site.
The total amount of employment space shown on the emerging masterplan is some 60,000 sqm (footprint of approximately 34,000sqm), with approximately 600 residential units (including 132 homes within the Phase 1 Gatefold building which has resolution to grant planning permission subject to a section 106 agreement).
