The City of London Corporation has granted planning approval for the retrofit of three existing office buildings across the Square Mile.
The buildings at 1 Basinghall Avenue, 3 Lower Thames Street and 75 London Wall, will receive an uplift in commercial and amenity space and be transformed into modern, sustainable buildings.
St Magnus House (pictured), at 3 Lower Thames Street, will provide a new destination for local residents, workers and visitors, complete with urban greening, public art and play space, as well as seating in a new riverside plaza. New food and beverage offerings at the ground floor and podium levels, will also be available.
At 1 Basinghall Avenue, the ground floor entrance lobby will be remodelled to accommodate a new café or restaurant and the building will also feature a new rooftop terrace and cycle maintenance facilities at basement level.
The proposals for 75 London Wall, also known as Winchester House, will see approximately 90% of the existing building retained and deliver a large uplift in new office space.
Through the retention and reuse of the majority of the existing structures and materials, it is expected that thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved. In keeping with the City of London Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy and net zero goals, the three sites will benefit from significant energy efficiency upgrades through the introduction of LED lighting and heat pumps.
Shravan Joshi, chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee, said: “Attention is always drawn towards the latest large new office developments in the City, but when it comes to retrofitting, the City is leading the way on both policy and delivery, accounting for around half of all major retrofit applications across Greater London. It signals once more to investors, that the Square Mile is open for sustainable business.
“With the built environment sector accounting for around 40% of total carbon emissions, retrofitting is crucial for meeting our net zero goals. By working with stakeholders to deliver pragmatic policies that will help transition to net zero effectively, we aim to be the most attractive and sustainable global financial centre for generations to come.
“With these three retrofit applications, future office tenants and their employees will enjoy a well-connected, high-quality office space, whilst local residents’ and visitors’ journeys through the Square Mile will be enhanced by the public realm improvements and new retail.”
