{"id":286305,"date":"2025-11-27T15:03:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/286305\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T15:03:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:03:26","slug":"earls-court-megaproject-clears-first-planning-hurdle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/286305\/","title":{"rendered":"Earl\u2019s Court megaproject clears first planning hurdle"},"content":{"rendered":"

However, the plans, drawn up by a host of big-name architects, will also need the green light from neighbouring Kensington & Chelsea Council since the 16ha largely derelict brownfield site straddles both boroughs.<\/p>\n

After years of consultation, the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) submitted a hybrid application for the Hawkins\\Brown, Studio Egret West, and SLA-designed masterplan in September<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

This also included detailed plans<\/a> for the site\u2019s first buildings, drawn up by Maccreanor Lavington, Sheppard Robson, Serie, DRMM, ACME and Haworth Tompkins.<\/p>\n

This initial phase will deliver up to 1,300 homes and a 42-storey landmark skyscraper by Sheppard Robson \u2013 the only tower on the site that will be taller than the existing Stone, Toms & Partners-designed 1962 Empress State Building.<\/p>\n

As well as new homes, the regeneration of the former exhibition centre plot also includes 230,000m\u00b2 of workspace, a trio of cultural venues and 8ha of new public spaces.<\/p>\n

The proposals succeed Terry Farrell\u2019s unrealised vision for the estate\u2019s former developer Capco. In 2019, the company sold the site<\/a> to its current owner: a joint venture between Delancey, Dutch pension fund manager APG and Transport for London.<\/p>\n

The current scheme received 74 objections from local residents on the Hammersmith and Fulham Council website and was also jointly opposed by the Hammersmith Society, Fulham Society, Kensington Society, Earl\u2019s Court Society, Lillie Road Residents Association,and the London Forum.<\/p>\n

The amenity groups raised concerns about the development being too dense, issues of overshadowing and loss of daylight, and the potential impact on\u00a0local heritage assets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Empress Place Boulevard showing the detailed approval in background, as approved by Hammersmith & Fulham Council<\/p>\n

According to the Hammersmith and Fulham planning officers\u2019 report, prepared ahead of yesterday\u2019s committee meeting (26 November<\/a>), the groups also considered the scheme\u2019s design quality to be \u2018disappointing\u2019 and argued that the \u2018use of different architects for each building has had the effect of reducing coherence across site\u2019.<\/p>\n

However, the application also received 269 comments in support, and the committee voted unanimously to back the plans.<\/p>\n

ECDC chief executive Rob Heasman said: \u2018This 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\u2019s heritage as a place that dared \u2013 to showcase, to entertain and celebrate the spectacular.<\/p>\n

\u2018Earls 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 \u2013 a strategic part of London\u2019s growth agenda.\u2019<\/p>\n

He added: \u2018We now look forward to the plans being considered by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea planning committee and working with public and private sector partners to move into delivering the first phase of this project.\u2019<\/p>\n

The plans also include a student residential building by Serie Architects and affordable housing by dRMM.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Haworth Tompkins and Maccreanor Lavington are designing homes and a \u2018significant cultural offer\u2019 while ACME is working on a workspace hub on a plot off Warwick Road.<\/p>\n

ECDC said, subject to further approvals, it plans to start on site \u2018as soon as possible\u2019 and that enabling work would start next year.<\/p>\n

The first residents are scheduled to move in during 2030 with the full build-out running through to 2041.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lille Sidings within ECDC\u2019s plans for Earls Court, which have been approved by Hammersmith & Fulham Council<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"However, the plans, drawn up by a host of big-name architects, will also need the green light from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":286306,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-286305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}