I have been asked for an update on the “King Street Regeneration” scheme. It is an ugly scheme – although nothing could be more ugly than the existing town hall extension. The very popular local cinema will go. However unlike an earlier version is does not include two 14 storey blocks of flats – that would have been equivalent in scale to two more Premier Inns.

Anyway here is the response I have had.

 Dear Councillor Phibbs,

Thank you for your email of 29 October 2015 concerning the King Street redevelopment.

The application site includes the Town Hall and Town Hall extension; 18-187 King Street; the Cineworld Cinema building (corner of King Street and Nigel Playfair Avenue); the Council owned car park to the rear of the cinema building; and the Friend’s Meeting House and Council Registry Office buildings, at the southern (A4) end of the car park). Unlike the previous, larger scheme it does not the Cromwell Avenue flats owned by the Thomas Pocklington Trust.

The approved redevelopment does involve the demolition of the existing Cineworld building at 207-209 King Street, to be replaced by a new building comprising a retail unit at ground floor level (approximately 478 sqm), fronting onto King Street, together with the entrance/reception for the new civic offices proposed on the upper floors. The remaining land on the west side of Nigel Playfair Avenue (the car park, Registry Office and Friends Meeting House) would be redeveloped for residential purposes. There would be additional residential accommodation within the re-clad/re-modelled Town Hall Extension, and on the upper floors of the new building proposed at 181-187 King Street (a new retail/restaurant unit is proposed at ground floor level). The development would provide a total of 196 new residential units.

In addition to the residential and retail uses outlined above the proposed development also includes a new cinema at ground/first floor level in the re-modelled Town Hall Extension building (in what is currently the open, double-height under croft area below the existing offices). The cinema would comprise three auditoria with a total of 250 seats, together with ancillary space on part of the ground floor where people can gather to collect tickets, buy drinks etc prior to screenings. The amount of leisure space proposed is 1,052sqm.

The developers (KSD) have now bought the Cineworld building and are in the process acquiring the remaining third party land (Hammersmith Friends Meeting House) to  complete the site assembly and allow for the commencement of the development. The planning permission includes a number of conditions that require the submission and approval of additional details/information prior to the commencement of the development, and the applications to discharge these conditions are expected to be submitted by the end of this year. The developers are also in discussions with officers about some minor alterations that they are considering to the first phase of the development, namely the residential element on the west side of Nigel Playfair Avenue.

The latest information that I have from the developers is that they are unlikely to be starting on site until March 2016, at the earliest.

I hope that this information is helpful.

Kind regards,

Ieuan Bellis
Team Leader
Planning Regeneration
Planning & Growth
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham