The High Court yesterday dismissed a challenge to the secretary of state’s decision to approve plans for the Shell Centre redevelopment of the site.
Secretary of state Eric Pickles gave approval in June 2014 to plans by Braeburn Estates, a joint venture between Canary Wharf Group plc and Qatari Diar, for the 1.45 million sq ft mixed use Shell Centre scheme. (See our previous report here.)
The work will be carried out by Canary Wharf Contractors, with phased construction starting later in 2015 and taking six years to complete.
Braeburn Estates said: “We are pleased that the challenge to the secretary of state’s decision to grant our planning application to redevelop the Shell Centre has been dismissed. We strongly believe that our redevelopment of this important site will be a catalyst for the regeneration of Waterloo, creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of homes, which in turn will benefit London and the UK.
“The planning application has been through a thorough and comprehensive process including a public inquiry and has been supported by Lambeth Council, the Mayor for London, the planning inspector and the secretary of state. The secretary of state’s decision to grant planning permission has now also been upheld by the High Court and we welcome Justice Collins’ decision not to grant leave to appeal. We are hopeful that this is the final stage in the extremely rigorous planning process around this development, and we look forward to commencing work in the near future.”
The 27-storey Shell Centre Tower will remain the centrepiece of the new site, and will continue to be owned and occupied by Shell. It will be joined by eight new buildings, one of which will incorporate a further 245,000 sq ft of new offices and trading floors for Shell, enabling all of its 4,000 London-based staff to be located together on the South Bank for the first time.
Approximately 800,000 sq ft of office space (including the Shell Centre Tower), along with 80,000 sq ft new retail units, restaurants and cafés, will be accompanied by 800,000 sq ft of residential space incorporating up to 877 new homes.
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