Overview
A much-needed refurbishment to the existing building
The refurbishment to the existing building will use sustainable design and construction methods to create flexible class A commercial office accommodation, along with a new façade and well-being-led rooftop green spaces. Below, you’ll find information on the planned works that will future proof the development and bring new opportunities to the local area.
The site
Site location
The existing building at 26 Red Lion Square is located in the north-eastern side of the square, which has a wide range of different architectural styles, materials and scales.
The site is surrounded by a number of established buildings, including Conway Hall and residential apartments at Kingsgate Mansions.
The site has a frontage to neighbouring Theobalds Road, with the buildings to the north of the site – such as Central St. Martins – of a taller scale than the existing 26 Red Lion Square.
The existing building
An opportunity to improve services and amenities
The building is currently occupied by multiple office-based companies, whose leases are expiring in early 2025. These businesses are in the process of vacating the existing building.
The site has underperformed as serviced office accommodation since the COVID-19 pandemic, due in part for a need to upgrade the building to meet current market demands and expectations.
The current site requires redevelopment in order for the site to optimise the existing office space for the current market. This includes:
- The existing office building currently falls short of market demands and expectations.
- The mechanical and electrical servicing strategy requires an upgrade to provide a more sustainable energy efficient building.
- The currently exterior can be updated to improve the windows and poorly performing heat capacity.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Rating D can be improved.
- The existing exterior design has a uniform appearance.
- The roofscape is currently disorderly, cluttered and with an unoptimised external plant arrangements.
- Ground floor lacks an active frontage which makes the development less inviting.
In order to bring the development in line with this, the site will need to be refurbished to update the current building and provide improved services and amenities onsite. This is also an opportunity to improve the existing building and façade design to both provide an updated, more aesthetically pleasing design and to futureproof the development.
Planning policy
How our site fits within the London Borough of Council of Camden’s development policies
The site is located within the Central Activities Zone (CAZ). The London Plan states that the CAZ is one of the world’s most attractive and competitive business locations. It accommodates one third of London’s jobs and generates almost 10% of the UK’s output.
Policy SD4 states that: “The nationally and internationally significant office functions of the CAZ should be supported and enhanced by all stakeholders, including the intensification and provision of sufficient space to meet demand for a range of types and sizes of occupier and rental values”.
The site is designated as part of the Holborn Growth Area in the Camden Local Plan (2017). This indicates that the site is suitable for large-scale redevelopment and be targets for significant job creation given its proximity to local transport interchanges.
The site is also located within the Knowledge Quarter – a partnership between over 100 cultural, research, scientific, business and academic institutions in the Holborn/Bloomsbury/King’s Cross area unique to developing the knowledge economy. The plan sets out the need to support the concentration of medical, educational, cultural and research institutions within Central London that form an integral part of the Knowledge Quarter.
Discover all the benefits of the proposals, and find out how the scheme will conform to the London Borough of Camden’s aspirations for future growth:
