A £150M regeneration project for the area around Hammersmith Town Hall in London has been given planning consent almost two years after earlier plans were rejected because some of the proposed buildings were too high.
Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council has approved plans for a scheme by King Street Developments Ltd, a joint venture between property developers Helicar Bar and Grainger.
The project will include demolition of an unpopular 1970’s town hall extension, building of a cinema, shops, offices, 196 homes and a new town square along with a contribution from the developers to the council of £5.25M towards refurbishment of the Grade 11 listed town hall.
Replacement offices for the council are included in the scheme, which means saving local council tax payers some £18M in temporary accommodation costs if the existing offices had to be refurbished.. None of the buildings will be higher than the existing town hall, a change that removed almost all of the local opposition to the original design that was rejected in December 2011.
The proposals have to be verified by London Mayor Boris Johnson before contracts are let.
Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council Leader, said: “We listened to residents and ditched the less popular elements of the previous scheme and I now believe we have a scheme that Hammersmith can be proud of.
“It's been hard work but we finally have a plan that will kick start the much needed regeneration of the west end of King Street. The developers can now get on with the important work of breathing new life into this rather rundown area.”
David Walters, Development Director at Grainger plc said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver nearly 200 new high quality homes designed by local architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands in the setting of the handsome listed town hall and in the centre of Hammersmith, with its excellent transport links and proximity to the Thames."
The council is also half way through the process of preparing a feasibility study to put the Hammersmith Flyover into tunnel, which will be presented to Transport for London in March next year.
Image: Hammersmith Council
