View our updated proposals for the sensitive refurbishment of

171 Victoria Street

Following our public consultation in May, June and July 2024, we can now share our updated proposals for 171 Victoria Street. We received some detailed and helpful feedback, which we have been reviewing since we met with you.

Kirkglade Limited’s Proposals for 171 Victoria Street are to refurbish the existing building to create a sustainable, modern destination for the long-term future.

The existing building was designed for a single occupier use case and was recently used as the business headquarters for John Lewis, offering little flexibility at present. The building is also closed off at the ground floor, lacking any meaningful engagement with the street. As John Lewis plan to relocate, this presents a great opportunity to retain and extend the building to provide greater flexibility to multiple tenants, optimising the current space and aligning it with modern office standards and needs.

Having received valuable feedback on our initial proposals at our public consultations in May, June and July 2024, we have finalised our proposals and we have submitted a planning application to Westminster City Council.

A focus on sustainability is at the heart of our proposal, by opting to refurbish the existing structure. The redesigned space aims to be flexible and modern, with new urban greenery and additional entrances, making it suitable for multiple tenants and the contemporary needs of occupiers. The proposals will also increase the biodiversity net gain, as part of our sustainability focus. The project promises economic and social benefits for the local area, including measures to reduce anti-social behaviour, enhance the public realm and ensure the refurbishment complements the nearby Westminster Cathedral and its surroundings.

We have now submitted our proposals to Westminster City Council. You can access the full planning application (24/07197/FULL) on the Council portal for further information about our project.

If you would like more information on our updated proposals or have any other queries please email us at skaur@conciliocommms.com or call us at 0800 193 0884.

Public consultation

Thank you to everybody who contributed to our consultation in May, June and July 2024. As you can see, we contacted many local people and received some valuable feedback:

The feedback we received was useful and varied, but can be summarised as below:

Since we shared our initial proposals for 171 Victoria Street with you, we have been reviewing all the feedback that we received. From this, we are able to show how our proposals that we intend to submit to Westminster City Council respond to this:

Infillling the colonnade across the whole perimeter

Improving energy efficiency and increase greenery

Make the Cathedral Piazza safer and more welcoming for the community

No changes to traffic flow

A construction plan that minimises disruption to residents

Ground floor retail units will remain with their current leases

Restricting terrace access to building occupants only

Fully electric building

Responding to feedback

You said

We did

We are concerned about the anti-social behaviour around the site

Following feedback received from local residents, we have updated our proposals to include the previously consented planning permission, infilling the colonnade. As well as this, the whole building will be activated with brighter lighting and two new reception areas.

Sustainability is important, including existing trees

For this project, we are adopting a ‘retrofit-first’ approach, which means that we are seeking to refurbish and sensitively extend the current building, rather than undertake a carbon-costly demolition and rebuild. We are also seeking to improve the internal infrastructure ventilation system to improve energy efficiency. The development plans include green roof terraces, trees in planters and climbers in vertical screens. The introduction of diverse plant species will contribute to the area’s overall biodiversity. Features include green walls, terraces with night-scented herbs and biodiverse roofs with a wildflower seed mix.

The existing trees should stay

Following feedback about the importance of the existing Italian Alders to local residents, they may be translocated to a new nearby location with a plan to reinstate them after construction. If this is not feasible, new trees of the same species will be planted.

Concerns about traffic flow on Carlisle Place and Ashley Place

Traffic arrangements will remain unchanged. It is intended that traffic continues to flow southbound from Victoria Street, with northbound site and parking access only.

Disruption from construction should be minimised

All works will be in line with the Westminster City Council Code of Construction Practise and we will communicate with local residents to minimise any disruption to them and meet the needs of the community.

There should be minimal impact on retail tenants

The retail units on the ground floor are not included in these proposals, with the exception of one unit which will be lost to accommodate a necessary fire escape. These units have a right to remain under their current leases which surpass the John Lewis vacation date, and we will be in close communication with the one unit that does need to be repurposed in order to reach a satisfactory outcome for them.

Noise and Privacy concerns from terrace operations

In response to this, we can confirm that due to the building’s nature, it is unsuitable for the terrace to host a viewing gallery or restaurants. Terrace access will be restricted to building occupants only, with no public access.

The building should use sustainable energy sources

The building will be all electric and we will be introducing air source heat pumps.

Public exhibition board

The information above was presented at the June 2024 public exhibitions and may no longer be up to date.

Indicative image

The current site

171 Victoria Street is located within the City of Westminster and is well-connected, being only a short walk away from Victoria station, with access to national rail services as well as underground lines.

Red line indicates the site boundary

Within close proximity to the site are several listed buildings and landmarks including Westminster Cathedral and Victoria Palace Theatre. Overall, the site has excellent access to public transport and is situated near to many historic landmarks.

However, the existing site presents a number of challenges, namely inefficiencies with the existing building and a design that has contributed to issues of anti-social behaviour in the local area. As John Lewis, the current single tenant, plan to relocate, this presents an opportunity to optimise the space to address these challenges and activate the full potential of the building.

The frontages of 171 Victoria Streetly are currently underutilised, which detracts from the public realm and invites anti-social behaviour which is worsened by leaks along the piazza frontage. The building does not optimise the space currently available, and has little in the way of greenery on site. Much of the site is hoarded off in order to deter anti-social behaviour, meaning that the site offers little in terms of interaction with public space.

Our proposals for a sensitive refurbishment of 171 Victoria Street will bring the office space up to modern, efficient building standards and will look to make public realm improvements to tackle the anti-social behaviour and make the space a safe space for the local community.

Our vision

Sustainable retrofitting through enhancing and sensitively extending the existing building

Flexible office space, upgrading the space to allow for multiple tenant occupancy and new amenities on-site

Modernising the design to include urban greening whilst retaining the majority of the building structure

Careful design to avoid undue impact to neighbouring buildings, including Westminster Cathedral

Improved public spaces, which will make the area safer and more inviting, helping to reduce anti-social behaviour

Ensuring that retail tenants are able to continue to operate

Our proposals

Retrofit-first approach

With sustainability at the core of the project, we will seek to retain as much of the existing structure as possible to reduce embodied carbon.

To achieve this fundamental objective for the project, a creative design has been developed, including sustainable materials and features. Our approach prioritises environmental responsibility to secure the long-term future of the building.

Flexible, welcoming office space

The office space on site is currently oriented around a single occupier and offers little flexibility. Our proposals will create more flexible office space, allowing for multiple new tenants, whilst bringing the spaces up to standard. This will include new outside amenity and as well as additional entrances and new cycle parking infrastructure. The existing building lacks sufficient internal reception space which creates congestion. The extended, double height main entrance space on Carlisle Place will help address that by creating an office entrance which is befitting the size of the building. The new office entance on the western part of the building allows the building to be split into multi-tenants.

Considerate design

We aim to preserve architectural elements which will enhance the building's character. We are enhancing these materials with thoughtful design changes. The additional structure blends seamlessly with the historic surroundings, maintaining clear views of key landmarks, including Westminster Cathedral. The additional massing is hidden from view at street- level and respects the existing terraced nature of the building maintaining the views to the Westminster Cathedral.

Urban greenery

The refurbishment represents the opportunity to create more green spaces, incorporating a series of green roofs and outdoor amenity spaces. These additions will significantly enhance the site's biodiversity. Moreover, the green space will greatly improve the building's visual appearance.

Public realm enhancements

The proposals aim to reinvigorate this area to address anti-social behaviour challenges through various architectural enhancements, including the opening up of the area facing the Piazza, which is currently hoarded off, making it a more welcoming space for all.

Respecting existing businesses

The proposals ensure that businesses at ground floor will be able to continue operating while the refurbishment work is carried out.

Indicative Images

Existing Site, Victoria Street looking West — Existing Site, Victoria Street looking East

The proposals from Victoria Street, looking East

The proposals from Victoria Street, looking West

Existing site, Victoria Street looking east — Existing site, Victoria Street looking West

Existing Massing

Proposed Massing (highlighted in green on the diagram hidden from view at street- level and respects the existing terraced nature of the building)

Existing Site, Morpeth Terrace — Existing site, Ashley Place (View from Morpeth Terrace – outside of bookshop)

Proposals Morpeth Terrace — Proposals, Ashley Place (View from Morpeth Terrace – outside of bookshop)

Existing Site, Entrance Westminster Cathedral

The team

Kirkglade Limited

Kirkglade Limited is owned by the Reuben Brothers, who are established investors and developers with a large holding in Central London, with a number of holdings across the country, including in Newcastle, where a significant development scheme is under way.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone for participating in the consultation and providing us with valuable feedback. The online survey has now closed, should you have any queries or feedback please don’t hesitate to email us at skaur@conciliocomms.com or call us at 0800 193 0884.