Royal London Asset Management has got the planning green light for a £200m office scheme next to Holborn Viaduct in the City of London.

The 36,000 sq m offices designed by PLP Architecture will see the demolition of three buildings with the foundation retained to reduce the scheme’s carbon footprint.

City of London planners yesterday backed the scheme which will stand 10 floors tall on Holborn Viaduct and 12 floors on Farringdon Street.

It is the eighth major office scheme to gain planning in the City so far this year, underlying growing momentum for a new wave of major building projects post-pandemic.

The Royal London Asset Management scheme is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and will reuse existing building materials from demolition while seeking to replace around a third of cement-based materials with low carbon alternatives during construction.

A new publicly accessible step-free lift will move pedestrians from the lower Farringdon Street up to Holborn Viaduct.

Royal London Asset Management building will incorporate the existing Holborn Viaduct Gatehouse building and also provide public step free access with a new lift

During the three-year construction programme the project will support an average of around 450 jobs annually.

The development supports sustainable travel with an additional 499 long-stay and 34 short-stay cycle parking places.

Aerial view of proposed building from Farringdon Street (lelt) and view from Holborn Viaduct elevation

 

Head of Development at Royal London Asset Management, Philip Sutton, said: “We are thrilled that planning permission has been approved.

“This is an exciting opportunity to regenerate this corner of Holborn Viaduct, delivering a BREEAM Outstanding building which makes a significant contribution to the wider public realm.

“The development will strengthen London’s reputation as a global business centre, providing quality commercial space that prioritises wellness and future ways of working, whilst also strengthening our market leading sustainability standards.”

 

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A council is considering legal action against three of the country’s biggest house builders to take control of a delayed school building project forming part of a major mixed-use scheme in Barry.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council said it will consider legal action to take charge of building Barry Waterfront School if developer the Waterfront Consortium refuses to hand over control voluntarily.

The council said the Waterfront Consortium – of Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Homes – has repeatedly delayed work on the school and has still not given assurances over a construction start date.

Cllr Lis Burnett, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration, said: “Enough is enough. It is regrettable that we have reached this point, but the consortium has proven it has no interest in building the primary school it promised as part of the Waterfront Development.

“I, along with other Council representatives, have held numerous meetings with them in an effort to address this matter but have been unable to make any real progress.

“At every turn we have been met with excuses, yet the developers’ house building operation does not seem to be suffering from the same problems, which is frankly astonishing.

“I can only conclude that while happy to build houses for commercial gain, the Waterfront Consortium has no interest in fulfilling its obligation to build a community.

“It is not only in breach of its legal commitments, but also local and national government polices around placemaking.

“The consortium has broken promises to residents of the Vale of Glamorgan and that is something we are not prepared to accept.

“This situation has been tolerated for long enough. We have formally written to the Waterfront Consortium asking that it sign over the school site to us. If the developers do not agree, we will explore what legal action is available to allow us to take control.”

The Council has previously taken enforcement action against developers at Barry Waterfront after they began building residential properties without appropriate planning permission.

A Temporary Stop Notice was also previously issued preventing the building and selling of new homes on the waterfront until significant progress had been made on delivering a complex of commercial space, including bars and restaurants, known as the District Centre.

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