Grosvenor greens up ‘tired’ Belgravia office block
Grosvenor has submitted plans to transform a 1960s building in Belgravia into a fully retrofitted, highly sustainable office development.
The landed estate, working with architect Morrow + Lorraine, has submitted plans to “substantially reposition” 23 Lower Belgrave Street, SW1, turning the existing “tired office building” into a “high-quality and sustainable workspace”.
The six-storey, 65,700 sq ft building is currently let to two office tenants – Hays Recruitment and Harbour Energy – with a restaurant on the ground floor. However, Grosvenor expects to get vacant possession of the block in January next year.
Grosvenor has submitted plans to transform a 1960s building in Belgravia into a fully retrofitted, highly sustainable office development.
The landed estate, working with architect Morrow + Lorraine, has submitted plans to “substantially reposition” 23 Lower Belgrave Street, SW1, turning the existing “tired office building” into a “high-quality and sustainable workspace”.
The six-storey, 65,700 sq ft building is currently let to two office tenants – Hays Recruitment and Harbour Energy – with a restaurant on the ground floor. However, Grosvenor expects to get vacant possession of the block in January next year.
New plans for the site include 78,145 sq ft of grade-A office space, a net uplift of 12,278 sq ft on the existing footprint. Around 2,400 sq ft retail or restaurant use at ground level will also be provided.
The redevelopment includes the part demolition of the ground floor, rebuilding of the sixth floor and the addition of a setback seventh floor and new eighth floor plant enclosure. Terraces will be added at the sixth and seventh floors, with further greening of the public realm.
Grosvenor said it would seek to deliver a highly sustainable scheme, retaining the existing scheme. The all-electric development is targeting BREEAM Excellent and NABERS five-star ratings and seeks to be “visibly green”.
“Ebury Gate will build on our work to date demonstrating that outdated buildings can be transformed into beautifully designed, progressive workspaces,” said Rachel Dickie, executive director, investment and development at Grosvenor.
“By focusing on circularity, carbon reduction, occupant wellbeing and public realm, our ambition is to deliver the most sustainable building across our portfolio, making the case for retrofit over demolition, proving that delivering against ambitious embodied carbon targets is possible and commercially viable.”
A planning report for the scheme said that the proposals represent a “strategic opportunity to address the shortcomings of the existing building to provide a new high-quality commercial building”.
It added: “The proposal seeks to provide a respectful contextual response to the site through the creation of a modern, sustainable and elegant building that sits comfortably within its context, and which seeks to bridge the gap between the heavily residential nature of the conservation areas which surround it and the commercial nature of modern Victoria.”
Grosvenor bought the block from British Land in 2017 for just over £32m.
Gerald Eve is advising on planning.
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Image © Morrow + Lorraine
