Date:

11/07/06

The regeneration of St Giles Court (WC2), a major site in the heart of London's West End close to Centrepoint and Covent Garden, has been given the go-ahead by Camden Council.

It resolved to grant planning permission for the re-development at a meeting on Thursday (6 July 2006).

The council's Development Control Committee approved the planning application by landowner Legal and General Securities and architect Renzo Piano for a 66,000m2 mixed use development. Camden Council has secured a strong regeneration package that will provide more than 100 new homes, 53 of which are affordable. It will also include a mixture of restaurant, retail, community and business facilities that will revitalise the area, as well as street improvements to make it more attractive for anyone walking through.

Cllr Andrew Marshall, Executive Member for Equalities and Community Development, Camden Council said:

"Camden Council's decision on St Giles Court means we can provide much-needed regeneration to a wide area around this neglected site, and our strong legal agreement will ensure that the developer will deliver what is promised. The scheme provides new homes and jobs, and significant improvements to local streets and public spaces, with high quality design that is sensitive to the important local heritage."

Cllr Dawn Somper, Chair of the Development Control Committee, Camden Council added:

"We listened to the results of the local public consultation and fed these into the council's strong negotiations with the developer, so we have met local and national planning policies and can look forward to a new future for St Giles High Street."

The council carried out three rounds of public consultation - with local people, residents and community associations, as well as heritage organisations, conservation area committees and other interested groups - to help shape the future of St Giles. This led to the developer submitting revised applications in October 2005 and January 2006. The Greater London Authority, English Heritage and CABE supported the revised scheme.

The existing 10-storey office block - vacated in 2005 by the Ministry of Defence -will be demolished. It will be replaced with a development made up of new commercial and residential buildings, between eight and 16 storeys in height, set around a publicly accessible central courtyard. The development will include:

• More than 100 units of new housing, including 53 homes with a mixture of one to five bedroom flats
• Business and office space, shops, restaurants and cafes
• Funding to help local people find training and jobs
• A community space, £200,000 for community safety schemes, and a contribution for schools
• Improvements to St Giles-in-the-Field churchyard, including replacement heritage railings, forecourt and seating areas
• Improvements to nearby Phoenix Gardens, including a larger multi-use games area and enhanced play facilities
• Extensions to the existing public space at Princes Circus; enhancements to St Giles High Street including widening pavements; and other street improvements in the surrounding area
• Energy efficiency, water consumption and renewable energy measures

- ENDS -

For media enquiries to Camden Council, please contact Alison Birtwell on 020 7974 5719 or 07768 065376 or alison.birtwell@camden.gov.uk

Notes to editors

With its improving transport links, the area around Tottenham Court Road Station has been identified one in which new homes and jobs can be provided through higher density development.

Camden Council's 'Tottenham Court Road Station and St Giles High Street Area Framework' sets out the vision for the next ten years. This includes: a richer mix of uses of the land to help regenerate the area; making the streets better for pedestrians and reducing the dominance of traffic; high quality design and enhancing the area's historic nature.

The council's planning brief for the St Giles Court site looked for a mixed use development to replace the existing monolithic office block, providing: new homes with affordable housing; a range of new jobs; improvements to the environment and to public spaces around the site - including St Giles High Street and Princes Circus - with shops and restaurants

As with all major development planning applications, Camden Council's decision is now subject to referral of the application to the Mayor of London. It is also subject to the Section 106 agreement and the conditions set out in the planning report.

The original planning application was submitted in January 2005. Revisions were submitted in October 2005 and January 2006.

For more information see: www3.camden.gov.uk/templates/committees

The St Giles Court site is surrounded by St Giles High Street to the south, Earnshaw Street to the west, Bucknall Street to the north and Dyott Street to the east. The Grade I listed 18th century St Giles-in-the-Fields church is immediately to the south of St Giles High Street; the Centre Point Tower is to the west, and Princes Circus, public space within a complex traffic junction, is at the south east corner, opposite Shaftesbury Theatre.