Westminster Council last night refused to give planning consent to Land Securities plans for a 1m sq ft redevelopment of one of its largest London assets last night.
At a meeting of Westminster’s planning and development committee last night, councillors voted not to give consent to the plans for Arundel Great Court on The Strand.
Land Securities was proposing 151 apartments, a 116-bedroom hotel and 584,000 sq ft of offices to be developed at the block.
In a 51-page report Westminster planning officers advised the council to not give consent to the plans because of the impact the development would have on historic views in the area, particularly from the bridges over the River Thames and the 18th century Somerset House.
The report said: ‘The demolition of the existing buildings is only considered acceptable as part of a redevelopment scheme that demonstrably enhances the heritage assets of the area.
‘The buildings adversely affect the settings of the listed buildings and the character and appearance of the Strand Conservation Area.’
A statement from Land Securities said: ‘The Temple area is currently encumbered by outdated building stock and now needs to be invigorated so that it keeps pace with what businesses, residents and visitors want from London today.
‘We believe that our plans for Arundel Great Court would have delivered that change, both by creating an attractive, high-quality mixed-use scheme and by acting as a catalyst for further investment in the area.
‘We will now be considering our options for Arundel Great Court in the light of the planning committee's decision.’
Land Securities bought the block, which is bordered by The Strand, Temple Pace, Arundel Street and Surrey Street, from the Hong Kong based Ho family in July 2006 for £306m.
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