Half of the Earl’s Court development now has planning permission and it’ll eventually see a cinema, live music venue and thousands of homes
The first of two applications looking to build thousands of homes around Earl’s Court has been unanimously approved by a West London council, with the developer describing it as a “new district”.
Hammersmith and Fulham councillors green-lit the part of the scheme within their borough at a Planning and Development Committee meeting last night (November 26). Constituting around half of the overall project, it will see the delivery of roughly 2,500 homes in what will be a major regeneration of the derelict site.
The second application is with neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea Council. A decision is expected to be made on that element of the proposal in December.
Rob Heasman, Chief Executive of the Earl’s Court Development Company (ECDC), said the designs “are truly reflective of Earls Court’s heritage as a place that dared – to showcase, to entertain and celebrate the spectacular”.
Across the two applications the proposed £10 billion scheme is hoping to deliver a new 4,000-home neighbourhood alongside benefits including 2.5 million square feet of workspace, 12,000 jobs and cultural venues.
Formerly home to the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centres, the 40-acre brownfield site has sat largely unused since the buildings were demolished between 2015 and 2017.
Previous plans for the land, led by CAPCO and approved by Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham councils in 2013, stalled, with the site being sold to real estate investment company Delancey, and the Dutch pension fund manager APG, for £425 million in 2019.
The current applications were filed on behalf of the ECDC, a joint venture between Delancey, APG and Places for London, Transport for London’s (TfL) property arm. They were submitted separately with Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea councils last summer.
Located by the Gibbs Green and West Kensington estates, the overall site is one of the largest brownfield spaces in London.
Cinema, live music venue and a 42-storey tower
According to a council report the application is hybrid, meaning it contains both detailed proposals and others that are in outline form. The detailed elements include the construction of four buildings up to 42 storeys tall providing 456 homes and 696 student rooms, plus a range of food, drink and retail spaces.
Approval was also sought for outline proposals for up to 2,044 homes, older persons’ housing and other facilities, from community spaces to a cinema and a live music venue.
A total of 35 per cent of the housing is to be earmarked as affordable, which is less than the 50 per cent target set in Hammersmith and Fulham’s Local Plan. Officers, however, wrote that the figure has been independently assessed “and represents the maximum reasonable provision”.
The work, if approved, is to be delivered in a number of phases, with further applications required to flesh out the outline proposals. The scheme is expected to be complete by early 2043.
Due to the size of the project, with Hammersmith and Fulham’s report alone coming to 451 pages, and the fact it straddles two boroughs, it is able to be called-in by the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan for a final decision if he wishes.
According to the council report, 376 representations were filed in response to the plans, 74 of which were in opposition, 33 neutral and 269 in support. The objections centred around concerns about the height and density of the proposals, such as the 42-storey tower block, the design and impacts on heritage, and the level of housing to be delivered.
A further 15 representations were filed following the publication of the original report, taking the total to 391 submissions.
‘Communities don’t stand still’
The level of interest in the scheme was reflected in the packed attendance at last night’s meeting, though admittedly this did wane somewhat over the course of its three-hours-plus running time.
No objectors had registered to speak. Among those to address members were two of the Labour West Kensington councillors, Florian Chevoppe-Verdier and Daryl Brown.
Cllr Brown said the project “represents a major investment in the future of this borough. I believe that [ECDC’s] team has worked diligently to ensure it delivers a long-term value while respecting the characters, needs and aspirations of the community”.
Towards the conclusion of her speech Cllr Brown told members: “We must all remember one thing; communities don’t stand still. They evolve, and with careful planning, I believe that ECDC will guide that evolution in a way that improves quality of life and strengthens our local economy.”
Niamh Faleye, a member of the Public Realm Inclusivity Panel (PRIP), also spoke in favour of the proposal. She praised the engagement from ECDC with the community, saying the organisation had committed to “taking our concerns seriously and working with us to find the best solution”.
Several questions were put to officers on the parking and traffic plans for the site, such as the Blue Badge provision and whether the Gibbs Green and West Kensington estates are to be impacted.
Cllr Patrick Walsh asked about the site entrances, in particular those to be used during construction the early phases. A council officer confirmed Lillie Road had been identified as the entrance for the detailed phase of construction with the two estates not to be affected.
They added they are expecting up to 200 ‘movements’ a day, including vehicles both entering and leaving the site, though that these would be controlled via a booking system.
Officers, with input from ECDC, also spoke at some length on the environmental elements of the scheme, such as the planting of more than 1,000 trees, and how it will support the council’s Upstream London industrial strategy.
The officers’ approach to heritage assets and the expected impact was queried by Cllr Alex Karmel, who described the decision to include and exclude certain sites as “strange”. He was told officers had scoped out some of the assets Cllr Karmel referred to due to them not being considered to be harmed by the scheme.
When put to a vote, the proposal was approved unanimously. Cllr Nikos Souslous, Committee Chair, ended by saying members’ questioning did “justice” to the detail of the application and praised ECDC’s work on the designs.
Following the meeting Mr Heasman said: “This marks a major milestone, following years of active listening and engagement with local communities and the development of designs that are truly reflective of Earls Court’s heritage as a place that dared – to showcase, to entertain and celebrate the spectacular.
“We would like to thank all who have contributed so much of their time, energy and consideration, to help us shape an application that delivers so much for local people and for London. That includes residents, local businesses, community groups and charities, and the leadership officers and councillors at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
“Earl’s Court will be a new district in West London. A long-underused, centrally located, site with exceptional connectivity to deliver new homes, jobs and public space at scale – a strategic part of London’s growth agenda. We have worked closely with [Council Leader] Stephen Cowan and his team to embed the ambitions of Upstream London into the vision for Earl’s Court as a model of innovative urban renewal.
“We now look forward to the plans being considered by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Planning Committee and working with public and private sector partners to move into delivering the first phase of this project.”
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