An “underused” garage is set to make way for a major new building that will provide more than 200 homes as well as affordable workspaces.

Brent Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the Barratt London development in Watkin Road, Wembley.

The site, which currently hosts one-storey red-brick buildings used for car repairs, will be transformed into a mixed-use block up to 23-storeys high.

It will provide 217 homes – of which 67 will be affordable – and will also benefit from hundreds of square metres-worth of workspace.

Katie Smith, senior development manager at Barratt, said it would be an “exciting new addition to Wembley Park”, which has undergone serious regeneration.

She added that the workspace will provide “up to 55 new jobs” while the car-free nature of the scheme, blue badge spaces aside, will encourage sustainable transport.

The proposals were closely scrutinised by members of the planning committee who examined the building’s design, the number of affordable units and the extent of the consultations.

Cllr James Denselow, chairman of the committee, said that it was about assessing Brent’s housing needs against any potential downsides of a new development.

“From my perspective, there’s always that balance. There’s an equation that is driven by the push for housing,” he said.

It was unanimously agreed that the borough’s housing demands would benefit from this project.

Ms Smith pointed out that the “majority” of the private flats at the development will be marketed at less than £600,000, meaning they are eligible for the ‘help to buy’ scheme.

She added that a Section 106 agreement in place means the developer will contribute around £4 million to “local services and infrastructure”.

It is hoped that building will start in April. The first section is scheduled to be completed in June 2021, with full completion projected for November 2021.