Earls
Court owner and property developer Capital and Counties (CapCo) has
been granted outline planning permission by the London Borough of
Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) council that will see the Earls Court exhibition centres demolished to make way for 7,500 new homes across the
site.
Approval was given during a planning meeting held by the
council in Hammersmith on 12 September established specifically to
debate the site’s future. The masterplan, created for CapCo and other
site owners, Transport for London and LBHF, is based around four
distinct villages and a high street, covering more than 930,000sqm in
total. The development includes mansion blocks, tall buildings, garden
squares, commercial and retail zones and open space but does not include
any replacement exhibition space in the area.
LBHF’s resolution to grant consent comes a week after the council approved a land sale agreement to purchase homes across the Earls Court estate to make way for redevelopment.
“We
are pleased by the council’s decision to pass the resolution to grant
outline planning consent for the Earls Court Masterplan,” CapCo Chief Executive Ian Hawksworth stated. “The proposed scheme will offer a
multi-billion pound investment in both London and the local community
creating thousands of new homes and jobs.”
The decision to
approve the plans came against backlash from local residents living on
the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates, who turned out in force at
the planning meeting in the hope of further raising their concerns
against redevelopment.
It also comes despite the Association of
Event Organisers’ plea to consider the economic value and importance of
the events industry, reliant on sufficient event space in West
London.
The next crucial stage forward in the masterplan’s
realisation is approval from the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea, which has scheduled a similar planning meeting to discuss
CapCo’s masterplan in late October.
Any conference-related news? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
