Chelsfield and London & Regional have secured a new planning consent for Elizabeth House, a major redevelopment scheme at Waterloo, SE1.
The Sir David Chipperfield-designed, 1.4m sq ft scheme was previously approved in 2012 but was the subject of a legal challenge and intense opposition from Westminster city council and UNESCO, which claims it would negatively impact upon the World Heritage site at the Palace of Westminster.
The developers and Lambeth council consequently chose to re-submit the scheme. The new plans include 142 flats and around 950,0000 sq ft of offices in two buildings of 29 and 11 storeys.
A spokesman for Elizabeth House said: “We are very pleased that Lambeth council has re-confirmed its commitment to Elizabeth House, which will create over 8,500 jobs in Lambeth and provide modern office floor plates to attract major occupiers back to Waterloo, pumping £60m into the local economy each year.
“We do not agree that there is significant adverse impact on important views to and from the Westminster World Heritage Site and our plans have been thoroughly tested through two-and-a-half years in the planning process, by Lambeth council, the Greater London Authority and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Each time the same conclusion is reached, which is that the scheme should be delivered for the benefit of Lambeth and London.”
