Helical's £1.5bn housing scheme

The developer Helical Bar was back in the black yesterday and is set to fire the starting gun on a £1.5bn housing scheme at White City in west London. The company is ready to submit a planning application for 1,200 flats on the site of a former Dairy Crest plant next to the local Underground station, which will also include offices and retail.

Matthew Bonning-Snook, a director at Helical Bar, said building work could begin as soon as the end of next year and will form part of the area's regeneration. Helical posted pre-tax profits of £7.4m in the year to 31 March – as opposed to a £6.3m loss the previous year – as the company enjoyed a 29 per cent rise in rents.