Great Portland Estates (GPE) has secured planning consent for the redevelopment of the St Thomas Yard office building in South East London.
The retrofit-first proposals, designed by Orms, will see the existing 1980s building’s primary structure retained and reused, significantly reducing embodied carbon and waste. The redevelopment will also retain the historic frontages to St Thomas Street and restore the listed Georgian terrace.
GPE intends to add five storeys to the building, which was previously known as New City Court, to create an 11-storey building providing 190,000 sq ft – a significant increase on the building’s current 100,000 sq ft footprint.
James Shipton, senior development manager at GPE, said: “We are delighted to have secured Southwark Council’s planning committee’s resolution to grant planning permission for this transformative re-use project, which reflects our confidence in the strength of the London office market and extends GPE’s investment in this prime location, following our successful projects at the Delft and Woolyard. Our vision is to create a best-in-class workspace that not only meets the needs of today’s businesses, but also sets new standards in sustainability, design and customer experience.”
