Hammersmith & Fulham council has withdrawn a planning application for a £110m town hall redevelopment by Grainger and Helical, in the face of mass opposition.
The council decided to withdraw the application on the same evening as Mayor of London Boris Johnson was due to announce whether he would let the scheme go ahead.
Plans for 290 homes, shops, restaurants and a new public square could now be jeopardised, just 14 days after the council approved them.
Campaign group Save our Skyline fiercely opposed the scheme, and yesterday around 100 protestors staged a demonstration outside City Hall ahead of Johnson’s decision.
A Greater London Authority spokesman said: “The withdrawal of the stage II referral means the mayor is not required to issue a decision at this time. It will, however, still need to be considered by the mayor at a later date should the council re-refer the scheme back to him for consideration. This would need to be done before planning permission can be granted.”
The council declined to comment.
Prior to the council’s withdrawal, Grainger development director David Walters, speaking on behalf of the joint venture vehicle with Helical Bar, King Street Developments, said: “The opposition is well organised and vocal, but they do not represent everyone and much of their campaign is based on the misrepresentation of the proposals. Our own consultation with the community demonstrated a very high level of public support for the scheme.”
He added: “After very careful consideration, councillors on Hammersmith and Fulham’s planning committee decided in favour of our plans and their decision should be respected and upheld.”
joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
