Qatari Diar unveils Chelsea Barracks masterplan

  Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company has unveiled its initial “masterplan concept” for the redevelopment of London’s 12.8-acre Chelsea Barracks site.   The developer and owner of the site met community and resident groups on Tuesday night for the first of a series of local meetings and consultation exercises.   Qatari Diar said the Dixon Jones, Squire & Partners and Kim Wilkie Associates-designed masterplan concept showed the “setting and environment being proposed for the development, including the sustainable land use mix and public realm elements, ahead of detailed design architecture for the buildings”.   The concept is predominantly residential, including a mix of houses in addition to apartment buildings, as well as local shops and community facilities.   It also comprises a boutique hotel, a community sports facility and a medical centre as well as public art   The site will “link seamlessly into the surrounding community with car access and servicing at ground level, together with lower ground level car parking areas”.   The proposals include the former Garrison Chapel which may be retained in some form. As part of the ongoing consultation process, the local community has been asked for its views on potential uses for the chapel itself and its immediate surroundings.   It is expected that the site will be developed in phases, with the detailed building designs being undertaken by a variety of architects, none of whom have yet been appointed.   It is anticipated that the Masterplan will be submitted to Westminster City Council as an outline planning application later this year, following further public consultation in the coming months.   Subsequently, a detailed planning application for the first phase will be prepared.   A Qatari Diar spokesperson said: “Qatari Diar has a long-term commitment to major investment at this site in order to create a sustainable new neighbourhood for London, delivering both private and public spaces where people will want to be.   “An enormous amount of work has gone into this Masterplan Concept, which will lead to a development of which London can be truly proud, and which will reflect the traditions, culture and diversity of its surroundings within this historic area of the capital.”   Christian Candy’s CPC has lodged a High Court claiming breach contract after initial plans for a £3bn Chelsea Barracks housing scheme designed by Lord Rogers which it had been developing with Qatari Diar were dropped.   CPC alleges that the Prince of Wales’s intervention caused Qatari Diar Real Estate Investments, CPC’s former partner in the project, to withdraw the planning application and wants the court to rule that the withdrawal was in breach of a contract it had with QD.   paul.norman@estatesgazette.com