Private equity real estate firm Henderson Park has launched the next step of its “phased refurbishment” of a City of London office block – but said it is “unclear” why a larger proposal for the site has yet to receive a planning decision more than two years after being lodged.
Henderson Park and developer Dukelease Properties paid £121m for the Grade II listed Ibex House, at 42-47 Minories, EC3.
The owners have just applied to the City of London Corporation for permission to start a new fitout of the Art Deco building’s ground and lower ground floors, as well as alterations to the main entrance and the addition of a roof terrace on the eighth floor.
However, documents written by planning adviser Leftcity as part of the application note that an earlier, larger application to revamp some of the lower floors and add a ninth are still stuck in the City of London’s planning system. That application was made in late 2021.
“This application was submitted some time ago, though, to date this has not been determined,” the latest application said. “It is unclear why this is the case… However, the application documents state that there were a number of pre-app meetings which took place.
“The outcome of these discussions seems to be that the City of London had reservations about the extensions to the ground floor, noting that they changed the plan form and obscured the original architecture, but that they were open to being convinced that there was a benefit to the proposals. They were seemingly positive in their reaction to the improvements to the accessibility of the entrance, the extensions to the roof and roof terraces, and the ‘sensitive’ refurbishment of the interior spaces.”
The building was constructed to designs by Fuller, Hall and Foulsham between 1935 and 1937, according to the latest planning application.
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