India’s largest residential developer will hear tonight (11 November) whether its plans for luxury flats at the former Canadian High Commission can go ahead with no on-site affordable housing.
Mumbai-based developer Lodha Group wants to redevelop MacDonald House, W1, into 41 super prime flats with 53 car park spaces.
The MSMR Architects-designed plans include demolishing behind the façade of the 125,000 sq ft building at 1-3 Grosvenor Square.
Lodha has argued that it is not financially viable to provide 25% on-site affordable housing in line with Westminster city council’s policies.
Instead the company has agreed to pay either £22m towards the council’s affordable housing fund, or to provide 10 flats off-site at Dorset Close, NW1, and a £13.3m payment in lieu.
A published planning committee report has not offered a recommendation of approval or rejection ahead of the decision meeting tonight. Instead it asks councillors to consider whether the affordable housing offering is deemed satisfactory.
However, the report added: “The proposals are acceptable in design terms and it is not considered that the proposals would have any materially harmful impact on conditions on the public highway, or on visual [terms].”
The Canadian government sold its High Commission in Mayfair to Lodha in November 2013 for C$530m (£306m).
DP9 is advising on planning.
