King’s College London has withdrawn its plans to redevelop its campus at 152-158 Strand, WC2, after the 165,000 sq ft plans were called in by communities secretary Greg Clark.
The plans to demolish 154-158 Strand and part-demolish 152-153 Strand were granted planning permission in May.
However, the communities secretary called in the plans earlier this month because of their potential for violating the section of the National Planning Policy Framework that mentions “conserving and enhancing the historic environment”.
In a statement, King’s College said: “Our project to redevelop the Strand campus was granted permission after a wide-ranging consultation, which included working closely with Historic England throughout. However, we recognise the groundswell of opinion and are sensitive to the heritage values of our city. As a result, we have today withdrawn our plans and will consider alternative options.
“As always, we will balance our commitment to the architecturally significant environment in which we operate in the heart of London with the need to maintain our position as a world-leading academic institution. Vital to this is continuing to provide our staff, students and partners with the very best resources, research facilities and teaching and learning spaces.”
