Blackfriars Investments’ plans for the site of the former Mermaid Theatre, Upper Thames Street, EC4, have been given the go-ahead by the City Corporation.
The City Corporation’s planning committee yesterday gave consent for the redevelopment of the dockside warehouse theatre, created by Bernard Miles in 1959, and the adjacent 1960s office building, 2 Puddle Dock.
The 200,000 sq ft (18,580 sq m) office scheme, designed by Alsop Architects, will include a trading floor of 54,000 sq ft (5,017 sq m) and 6,500 sq ft (604 sq m) of shops.
The plans have received the approval of the mayor’s office.
A letter from the mayor’s planning decisions manager, Giles Dolphin, said the mayor “supports the broad principles of the development, which should form the first phase of a masterplan for the area and remove a major blot on the riverside at this location”.
The scheme has also received support from the government’s architectural adviser CABE and English Heritage.
Blackfriars has agreed to give £6m as part of a section 106 agreement towards theatre projects within or close to the City.
Colliers CRE and ATIS REAL Weatheralls are letting agents.
Alsop principal Will Alsop said: “The masterplan represents a major opportunity to improve the urban environment on this key riverfront site.
“We believe it could be the northern edge of a new ‘River Square’ bounded by major new London landmarks; the proposed regeneration of Blackfriars station to the West, Tate Modern to the south and the Millennium footbridge to the east.”
References: EGi News 19/03/03
