Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council's planning applications committee gave the green light for the £150 million regeneration scheme, from King Street Developments Hammersmith Ltd (KSD) – a joint venture between Helical Bar plc and Grainger plc.
Subject to verification by the Mayor of London the planning approval now paves the way for KSD to regenerate the area around and including the ugly town hall extension with a new cinema, new public spaces, shops, homes and offices.
The package of improvements includes: 196 high quality new homes; a three-screen community cinema, to be operated by Curzon; new retail, restaurant and cafe space; replacement offices for the council and a new town square.
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The Grade-II listed town hall will have its former ceremonial stone steps reinstated to link up with the new public piazza while the replacement council offices will be built to the west of Nigel Playfair Avenue. KSD will also provide £5.25 million towards a regeneration fund to boost the surrounding area and refurbish the Grade-II listed town hall, which was built in 1938.
A previous development, which included taller buildings, was referred to the Mayor of London but then withdrawn in 2011. None of the new buildings in the new scheme will be taller than the current town hall extension. The council received just eight objections to the development and a further five responses in favour during the consultation.
On the retail and cinema aspects of the proposals, Helical Bar plc Director Matthew Bonning-Snook said: "We are very excited to be introducing a new Curzon cinema to Hammersmith complemented by new retail and restaurant space as well as a landscaped public piazza. This will create an environment people will be proud to live, work and dwell in, and will contribute to putting King Street firmly on London's cultural map."
(CD)
