The largest single challenge or opportunity (depending on perspective) comes from proposals to build the HS2 railway line from Euston to Birmingham and beyond, using an alignment which also runs through the eastern side of neighbouring Ealing. Although originally billed merely as a box in which to change trains, proposals for a station at Old oak Common have now morphed into plans for a substantial investment in mixed use development which straddles the borders of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing. Although the Old Oak Common site itself is in Hammersmith and Fulham, nearby Willesden Junction, which could also be incorporated into the wider development plans, is in the borough of Brent. Even smaller Brent planning applications are usually subject to a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment, although this will depend very much on project type and size.


Another property development facing considerable local opposition is the proposal to substantially rebuild the shopping centre at Brent Cross, which is actually just in the neighbouring borough of Barnet.