Major Soho development gets green light

A major development on Soho Square has been given the green light.Four buildings, including the former home to 20th Century Fox, will form part of the almost 9,000 square-metre new scheme.The development will consist of new office space, an archway onto Soho Square and retail space.Westminster City Council approved the scheme by Royal London UK Real Estate Fund at a Planning Sub-Committee on Tuesday October 27.Residential flats already located in one of the existing buildings will also form part of the new development.The main eight-storey tall building will comprise what is now 31-32 Soho Square and 65-66 Frith Street.This will retain and restore the neo-Georgian front elevation of 31–32 Soho Square up to the fourth floor.Two further buildings, 22-25 Dean Street and 10 Chapone Place, will be refurbished as part of the development.Overall the scheme will deliver a net expansion of 2,477-square-metres of internal space.An enclosed service yard at Chapone Place will become a new landscaped public court yard.This will include a new archway entrance on Soho Square which will form a pedestrian route to Dean Street.The scheme will also provide 150 long-stay cycle spaces, seven of which will be for residents.An affordable workspace for the community will also be created at the Dean Street building.Soho Square developmentEmrys ArchitectsThe Soho Society opposed the creation of an archway onto Soho Square as it said that it should be protected as a space for “rest and recreation.”It also said that the archway would disrupt the symmetry of the green space.Chair of the Soho Society, Tim Lord, said: “The purpose and role of Soho Square is respite. Soho Square is a protected square under the London Squares Preservation Act 1931, limited to garden, rest and recreation use.“City Plan 24D says the function of Soho Square is a green space and it will be protected and enhanced and its scale and setting protected.”Read MoreResidents of Townsend House asked for the applicant to include acoustic glazing for their rear windows and look into installing heat pumps for them.This was added to the application as an informative.Alistair Martin, from Simten Developments, said: “At its heart, this application is about giving a long, underused part of Soho a sustainable future, one that represents the very best of Soho.“Our aim has therefore been to find the right balance for this site, one that reflects the best of the past, whilst giving these buildings the best chance of a successful long-term future.”