This meeting was about deciding on a number of major planning applications across Westminster. The applications cover the Victoria, Knightsbridge and Oxford Street areas. Some of the applications were controversial, especially one for a hotel on the site of the former Belgravia Police Station.

202 - 206 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 9SX

The report pack included an application for planning permission for the demolition and redevelopment of the former Belgravia Police Station at 202 - 206 Buckingham Palace Road in Knightsbridge. The applicant was The Other House PropCo 3, and they were proposing to demolish part of the existing building and retain the basement and structural frame. The new building would be a hotel with a basement, a ground floor, and seven upper floors. It would also have plant equipment on the roof.

The application stated that a single-storey extension would be built in the courtyard and a two-storey building would be built on the Buckingham Palace Road side. In addition, the proposals included a restaurant, a bar, a gym, and spa facilities. The existing London Plane tree, which is protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), would be retained.

The report to the Committee recommended that planning permission be granted subject to a Section 106 legal agreement. The legal agreement was to secure a number of things, including:

• A financial contribution of £491,910 to be paid towards the Council’s Carbon Offset Fund.
• The use of ‘Be Seen’ monitoring¹ to track the actual operational energy performance of the building.
• An Employment and Skills Plan, including a commitment to meeting employment targets, and a financial contribution of £35,226 to Westminster Employment Service.
• Highway works to be carried out, including repaving of footways, the provision of on-street cycle parking, access to an off-street servicing area, the moving of a bus stop, and alterations to on-street parking restrictions.

61 - 71 Victoria Street

The report pack included an application for the redevelopment of 61 - 71 Victoria Street in Victoria. FM Construction & Maintenance was the applicant.

The application was for:

• the part demolition, refurbishment and extension of the existing building;
• a new sub-basement level;
• new facades; and
• a two-storey upward extension.

The existing building is currently vacant.

The report to the committee recommended that planning permission be granted subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement to secure:

• A financial contribution of £157,944 to the Carbon Offset Fund
• The use of ‘Be Seen’ monitoring
• A financial contribution of £26,848 towards employment, training, skills development, and the Westminster Employment Service
• The costs of monitoring the S106 agreement

West One Shopping Centre, 381 Oxford Street, W1C 2JS

The report pack included an application to vary the conditions of a previous planning permission that was granted for the West One Shopping Centre at 381 Oxford Street in the West End.

Specifically, the application requested to:

• change the permitted use of the first floor from retail to either retail or office use, and
• revise the waste storage and make alterations to the facade to enable the use of the first floor as office space.

The report to the committee recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to a deed of variation to the legal agreement dated 6 March 2024, in order to secure a number of things, including:

• A financial contribution of £162,450 to the Carbon Offset Fund
• The provision of an Employment and Skills Plan
• Monitoring and reporting on the building's operational energy performance
• A financial contribution of £137,094 towards local employment, training, skills development and the Westminster Employment Service
• A financial contribution of £35,000 towards an extension to a nearby Cycle Hire docking station
• Highway works, including the reinstatement of redundant crossovers in Weighhouse Street
• The costs of stopping up the highway
• The cost of monitoring the S106 agreement