Westminster resolves to grant consent for 160-home Horseferry Road development

The plans include the demolition of the existing six-storey 1990s office building at 33 Horseferry Road and its replacement with three linked buildings between eight and nine storeys in height. Of the 160 one- to three-bedroom flats proposed for the upper floors of the new buildings, 38 are proposed to be affordable homes. A further contribution of nearly £4,000,000 towards affordable housing is expected to be secured by way of a section 106 agreement.

The ground floors of the buildings would house four shops and a further two units reserved for shop or food and drink uses under the plans.  Ground floor and basement parking spaces for 103 cars and 202 cycles have been proposed. The plans also include a landscaped communal area and a piece of integrated public art by designer Moritz Waldemeyer.

The redevelopment will result in the loss of 19,905 square metres of office space and 378 sq m of commercial space. A planning officer's report to the Council's planning applications committee noted that residential use was prioritised in local planning policy and that no policies existed to prevent the loss of office space.

The report recommended that permission be granted, subject to a section 106 agreement, after concluding that concerns over the amount of sunlight that would reach some of the new properties were outweighed by benefits including the provision of on-site provision of affordable housing.