Agenda item

1                318 Oxford Street London W1C 1HF

Installation of new ground floor shopfronts including 2no. new double height entrances; extensive refurbishment of the existing Portland stone facade; replacement of the existing windows between first and fifth floors with new double-glazed units, and modification of the fifth floor windows to increase their height; infill construction along fifth floor Chapel Place in facsimile of the existing facade to provide additional Class E floorspace; installation of ventilation louvres to the Chapel Place elevation at first to fourth levels; demolition of the sixth and seventh floors and erection of replacement sixth and seventh floors (including the creation of new external terrace areas) and new eighth floor roof extension with external terrace areas, all for use within Class E; and consolidation of roof level plant within a single enclosure and provision of a new building maintenance unit at roof level.

An additional representation was received from the Place Shaping and Town Planning Team (05/11/2021).

A late representation was received from the Applicant (09/11/2021).

Jace Tyrrell addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the application.

Chris Beard addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the application.

Councillor Tim Barnes addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the application. 

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY (Councillors Rigby, Shearer and Hitchcock voted to remove Condition 8. Councillor Roca voted in favour of keeping Condition 8).

1.  That conditional permission be granted subject to a legal agreement to secure the following:

a)    A financial contribution of £225,000 towards the Carbon Offset Fund (payable prior to commencement of development).

b)    Undertaking of highways works to Chapel Place, Oxford Street, Old Cavendish Street and Henrietta Place. Highway works be agreed and alterations to traffic orders to have been confirmed prior to commencement of development. If undertaken by the owner (by agreement with the City Council), highway works be completed prior to occupation of any part of the new floorspace at sixth, seventh and eighth floors.

c)     A financial contribution of £41,000 to support the Westminster Employment Service (payable prior to commencement of development).

2.  If the S106 legal agreement has not been completed within six weeks of the date of this resolution then:

a)    The Director of Place Shaping and Planning shall consider whether it will be possible or appropriate to issue the permission with additional conditions attached to secure the benefits listed above. If so, the Director of Place Shaping and Planning is authorised to determine and issue the decision under Delegated Powers; however, if not; 

b)    The Director of Place Shaping and Planning shall consider whether the permission should be refused on the grounds that it has not proved possible to complete an agreement within an appropriate timescale, and that the proposals are unacceptable in the absence of the benefits that would have been secured; if so the Director of Place Shaping and Planning is authorised to determine the application and agree appropriate reasons for refusal under Delegated Powers.

3.  That Condition 8 be deleted.

4. That Condition 7 to be amended to include the requirement for detailed drawings of the windows shown on the approved drawings to be submitted for the City Council’s approval.