Massive new 19-storey office building near Fleet Street given green light
| Published date | 10 April 2024 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
Westminster City Council and The Twentieth Century Society were among those to object due to the potential heritage impacts of the plans. Westminster wrote in its response to the consultation that the redevelopment would be ‘overbearing’ on the Grade-I-listed churches of St Mary Le Strand and St Clement Danes, both of which are on The Strand.
Oliver Hunt, Development Director at the applicant Landsec, previously described the plans for Hill House as ‘ambitious’, and would deliver benefits including a new rooftop restaurant and long-term home for Shoe Lane Library.
Under the scheme, the current seven-storey building will be largely demolished and replaced with a 19-storey block. Shoe Lane Library, which is currently located in the basement level, will be reprovisioned, with the new building to also include amenities such as a bar and restaurant, as well as a huge increase in office space.
In documents submitted with the City, Landsec wrote the current structure provides a ‘poor contribution to the public realm’, with the majority of the ground floor being ‘opaque and lacking in active frontage’. It added the office floorspace will be hiked from 15,842 square metres to 44,110sqm.
During consultation, 43 of the 49 responses from residents were in support. However, they all followed the same format, including the sentence: “I am writing to share my support for the Hill House proposals,” with some backing aspects such as the retention of the library.
During yesterday’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee meeting April 9, Common Councillor Natasha Lloyd-Owen queried why officers had not included full responses from the likes of Westminster and Historic England in the pack distributed to members.
Noting fellow member Mary Durcan had earlier incorrectly stated there had been ‘no objections’, Ms Lloyd-Owen said: “I had to go on to the full planning portal to find Historic England and City of Westminster’s objections. And I just want to understand if that’s our usual approach, that we don’t put those who are really important in consultation and who give substantive responses, if we don’t put that in the papers. Because it may be that all members went onto the planning portal and read very carefully and diligently every single consultee response in...
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