Council Gives Go Ahead for 418 New Homes in Glenthorne Road
Kings Mall car park and West 45 office building to be demolished
The developer is applying for a variety of uses for the ground floor space including shops, offices, restaurants, cafés and bars, plus community and leisure uses
The new building, which will incorporate sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) – including green and brown roofs where vegetation is planted on top of the buildings, will include 30% affordable housing.
St George is also behind three other major developments in the borough, Fulham Reach on Hammersmith Embankment and Imperial Wharf and its neighbouring site Chelsea Creek in Fulham.
The developer says there will be 52 studio apartments, 106 one-bedroom flats, 216 two-bedroom apartments and 44 three-bedroom apartments. 10% of the apartments will be wheelchair accessible.
As we reported in January, this development is part of huge changes coming to Hammersmith in 2013.
Perhaps the most welcome change is on King Street itself,where the run down Kings Mall shopping centre is getting a much-needed facelift.
MP Kings Retail bought the centre in May 2011 and is now aiming to refurbish the entire retail centre. The remodelling of the centre includes a new entrance from King Street and re-cladding the mall.
Sushi restaurant Wasabi has already moved into Kings Mall and it will be joined by fashion store H & M this summer, once refurbishment of the mall is complete.
The Lyric is currently building a two-storey extension behind the theatre to house state-of-the-art facilities, with the building being re-rendered and new signage put up. The Kings Mall shopping centre is enjoying a renaissance as high-profile new shops open and a modern new look entrance is built and aluminium cladding fitted.
Hammersmith Grove’s nine-storey office block is starting to take shape and work on its 11-storey counterpart, to create new student accommodation on the site of the former Hammersmith Palais, is due to start later this year.
Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council Leader, says: “This exciting scheme continues the wave of investment that is currently pouring into Hammersmith. The town centre is riding high on this wave and is being well and truly revitalised.”
The council says it worked hard with local amenity and residents groups to ensure that the scheme met with the approval of the majority of local people and was not too large for the area. Under a legal agreement, St George will also provide funding – known as a Section 106 contribution – for improvements to the area, including road resurfacing and environmental improvements to surrounding streets.
Arun Sondhi, Executive Director of HammersmithLondon – the organisation which represents businesses in Hammersmith, says: “We believe the redevelopment of the site will be an important catalyst to bring forward regeneration of the centre of Hammersmith. A new public car park, more residents and high quality public realm, is precisely what the town centre needs.
" The continued selection of Hammersmith as a place to build upon and improve is a wonderful testament to the overall vibrancy and increasing competitiveness of the area.”
Meanwhile, further along King Street, the updated designs for a new look civic square and new homes and office space around the historic old town hall will be presented at a series of public exhibitions this month before a planning application is submitted in the summer.
A revised brief to regenerate the rundown area around Hammersmith Town Hall was unveiled by the council last year. The new set of parameters includes:
- A cast iron guarantee that the tallest building will not be higher than the current town hall extension (equivalent to eight residential storeys)
- The creation of a £1million regeneration fund for improvements to buildings in this stretch of King Street.
- Halving the replacement council office space requirement from the previous scheme to around 45,000 square feet.
- No bridge over the A4 Talgarth Road into Furnivall Gardens.
- Considering the option to include a cinema within the scheme.
- No need for the relocation of Thomas Pocklington tenants.
- Exploring the inclusion of buildings to the north of the town hall next to King Street flanking the new public square.
- Reconsidering the architectural approach to the design
Some key components remain including: the creation of a new public square; opening up the historic northern façade of the Grade II listed old Town Hall, while improving access, and building new homes and retail/restaurant space.
In December last year, King Street Developments Ltd held a public consultation to show the emerging designs for the King Street Regeneration Project. Since then, the ideas have been developed further, incorporating the comments and feedback received from residents.
The team will now be returning with a second exhibition to present the progressed designs and provide another opportunity to hear feedback on the proposals. The exhibitions will be held at Hammersmith Town Hall on:
Thursday, March 21, between 3pm-8pm, in the Playfair Room, and
Saturday, March 23, between 10am-2pm in the Courtyard Room.
To find out more visit www.kingstreetregeneration.co.uk
You can view the documents presented at the consultation here .
March 14, 2013
