Council Announces New Plans for King Street Regeneration

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Architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners appointed after previous scheme scrapped

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has scrapped existing plans for the regeneration of the Town Hall and the area around it in King Street and commissioned leading architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to work up a new scheme.

Initial designs for the scheme will be shown to the public at the Town Hall on Thursday and Saturday, 9 and 11 November.

Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, says: " We ended the council’s agreement with the developers of the previous scheme after they told us that their proposals were not financially viable because of changes in market conditions.

"The developers told us this only after they had begun to demolish the cinema. Having considered their alternative proposals, we decided it was in the best interests of our residents to take a different path."

The original scheme, which was to be built by Helical Bar in partnership with Grainger, had a bumpy ride with initial plans strongly opposed by residents, who formed a campaign group called Save Our Skyline.

After it was rejected by then London Mayor Boris Johnson for breaching planning rules in December 2011, the scheme was revised and planning permission was finally granted in November 2013. At the time, work on the £150m regeneration scheme was scheduled to start in the second half of 2015, with completion in 2019.

Now the council says its new development partner is A2 Dominion. They are a not-for-profit housing provider and the council says together they are taking this opportunity to be even more ambitious in the renovation of the Town Hall and breathe new life into this part of Hammersmith.

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' brief includes:

A modern new cinema
At least 50% genuinely-affordable housing for local residents
Demolishing the ugly Town Hall extension
A new public space in front of a restored Town Hall
Staying within the massing and height of the former scheme
New affordable, flexible office space for business start-ups
A new arts quarter alongside new cafes, shops and restaurants
Improved green spaces to help link King Street to the riverside
Inclusive design to ensure excellent disability access
Measures to green the environment and minimise the buildings’ carbon footprint.

"In the summer, I set up the new independent Residents' Town Hall Development Commission," says Cllr Cowan. "It’s made up of local people who have long campaigned against or taken an active interest in the different, previous Town Hall schemes. They are now working at pace alongside the Town Hall Project Team. We all hope to deliver a new scheme that will make Hammersmith proud.

"I also want to make sure that we hear your views early on in this scheme’s progress. If you would like to see the initial designs, please come to one of our consultation events at Hammersmith Town Hall."

"Following that, we hope to submit a planning application early in the new year and will then begin the formal planning process. If planning permission is given, construction work could begin in the summer of 2018."

This week's consultation events will take place on:

Thursday 9 November from 4pm to 8pm
Saturday 11 November from 10am to 2pm

Both events will be held at Hammersmith Town Hall in King Street, and everyone is welcome to attend.

There will be more of these preliminary consultations in early December. To register your interest, email NewTownHallScheme@lbhf.gov.uk or call 020 8753 5892 and leave your details.

November 7, 2017