March 28th 2024
Mayfair development scheme set up for failure amidst net zero plans
Westminster have announced plans to become the UK’s first net zero city and although this will be good for the planet, it’s not good news for future developments.
Foster & Partners, a global studio for architecture, engineering, urban and landscape design, have submitted plans to demolish and rebuild an eight-storey building in Mayfair, however they are set to be refused by Westminster council next week as the borough targets its goal to become a ‘retrofit-first’ city.
The proposal details plans to demolish 18-19 Saville Row and replace it with a new build office of roughly the same size, aiming to address issues with the existing building which developer The Pollen Estate believes are ‘increasingly rendering [it] obsolete’.
However, Westminster’s planning officers have said the redevelopment of the site is ‘not considered to be justified in sustainability or circular economy terms.’
Against this backdrop, Foster & Partners’ proposals for a retrofit of a former Fenwick department store, which is also located in Mayfair and closed last month, have been recommended for approval ahead of the same planning committee meeting.
The two recommendations come as the council is running a public consultation on its plans to significantly strengthen its planning policies on retrofit aiming to discourage developers from pursuing new build schemes.
If these plans are approved, developers could face carbon offsetting payments up to nine time higher than current levels and would be required to prioritise re-use options on existing buildings before considering demolishing them.
The local authority’s planning officers said the Savile Row scheme ‘fails to adhere to circular economy principles and principles of sustainable design, both of which prioritise the retention, refitting and refurbishment of existing buildings’.
The officers’ report added it would ‘fail to help transition London to a low carbon circular economy through generating unjustified waste and carbon emissions’.
The planning committee are set to meet on 2nd April, when they will make a decision on the two applications.
Image: Jamie Street
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