King Street reassurances given
Tuesday November 2, 2010
View more King Street regeneration official artist's impressions»
A bid to breathe new life into the west end of King Street and save taxpayers’ cash is moving closer after the council received the regeneration plans from developers.
A planning application to redevelop the area around Hammersmith Town Hall was submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council on Friday last week (29 October).
The application from King Street Developments Ltd (KSD) will trigger a new round of consultation as the council, now acting as local planning authority, consults extensively with residents, amenity groups and other interested parties.
This new process follows three years where the council’s property team, as development partner and landowner, worked with KSD to develop on the proposals. The planning application now marks a key change in roles for the council, according to a spokesman.
The news comes as the Leader of the Council wrote to prominent amenity societies to make the case for regeneration following concerns from some groups. In his letter, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh argues that demolishing the ugly and costly Town Hall extension will save taxpayers’ cash and regenerate a run-down corner of the borough with new public spaces, shops, homes and offices.
Cllr Greenhalgh writes: “If the scheme does progress, the council will not be spending one penny on the development. However, if the scheme does not go ahead there will be costs. This is because the town hall extension has come to the end of its life and needs to either be demolished or extensively refurbished.
“If the project does not go ahead taxpayers will need to spend around £18 million to move council staff temporarily while the extension is brought up to standard.”
A new modern building is also expected to save around £150,000 in energy costs, according to Cllr Greenhalgh.
“As a council we have been getting slimmer,” writes Cllr Greenhalgh. “We have lost 1,928 people since 2006 and around 700 posts will be shed over the next 4 years due to the nation-wide spending squeeze. All of this means we need less space and costly leased buildings dotted across the borough are not cost effective. This is the lean slimmer-council model that delivers the best possible value for money for taxpayers.”
Addressing concerns from the Save our Skyline group the Leader says: “I understand that some people are concerned about the potential height of the two tallest residential buildings. An independent financial assessment from PricewaterhouseCoopers confirmed that the buildings are no taller than they need to be to ensure that the regeneration scheme is financially viable.”
The council’s Planning Applications Committee will consider the scheme against planning criteria, taking into account all of the responses and comments that it receives.
The initial planning documents are available to view on the council’s website now, at www.lbhf.gov.uk/planning, and all of the documents will be available from this Friday (November 5), according to the council.
Letter to amenity societies» (pdf 17KB)
Letter from PwC» (pdf 88KB)
King Street – the facts
- Demolishing the ugly and costly Town Hall extension will create a new public square surrounded by shops, restaurants, homes and offices
- A high quality public square will be a vibrant and dynamic focal point for the community, enabling the historic northern façade of Hammersmith Town Hall to be viewed from King Street once more
- Much-needed new jobs will be created in King Street
- A new community supermarket and a range of new restaurants and other retailers, alongside a council ‘One Stop Shop’, will draw more people down King Street and encourage more investment into the area
- A new public footbridge, across the Great West Road, will reconnect Hammersmith to the river and Furnival Gardens giving safe, step-free, access from the town centre to the waterfront
For more information visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/KingStreet .
