Developer wins in the end
Office block plan is given the go-ahead
Friday, 25th October 2024 — By Daisy Clague
How the new office block in Margery Street will look once it’s built
THE redevelopment of a Clerkenwell building into a “corporate, incongruous and harmful” office block has been given the go-ahead after developers won an appeal against Islington planning chiefs on the third try.
A two-storey building in Margery Street, called Edward Rudolf House, was home to the Children’s Society until 2019 and has been vacant ever since, while neighbours battled proposals for an office block twice the height.
But the development has now been given the green light by the planning inspector, after US-based developer Royal UK Properties III LLC appealed against the council for failing to make a decision on the plans within the allotted time.
Gail Sulkes of the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood Forum said: “We were very disappointed. The current building is derelict so we all want something new there, but we want a building that is respectful of the neighbourhood.
“[The development] is not a beautiful building. It’s crowding. It has light and sky impact on local residents and it’s out of character with the local area.”
The council’s own opposition to the plans also noted that the new building would overlook homes in other streets, and described it as “overly corporate” in an otherwise residential and heritage setting, with “harsh and alien” elements that give an effect of “relentlessness”.
Francois Smit, chairman of the Margery Street Tenants’ and Residents’ Association – which has opposed the development along with the Amwell Society and Wilmington Square Society – told the Tribune: “We did our best, we fought tooth and nail, but we finally lost and I know the residents on that block will be very upset because they do have a substantial loss of light.”
The construction itself will also be disruptive, Mr Smit added.
Royal UK Properties amended their plans between their last application to the council and their appeal to the planning inspector, with new designs for the building’s facade and changes to reduce the impact on daylight to nearby homes.
The agent, Rok Planning, did not respond to a request for comment before we went to print.
