A 1950s office block and pub in the City of London will be remodelled to create a ‘vibrant and sustainable’ new development.
The plans for Fleet House, in New Bridge Street, will create an additional 1,800 sq m of office space, supporting over 250 new jobs.
The existing St Bride’s Tavern will be demolished but replaced by a new pub fronting onto New Bridge Street and Bridewell Place and a newly created pedestrian passage linking the latter street with Bride Lane.
The development will retain almost three quarters (72%) of the existing structure, reducing carbon emissions and waste compared to demolishing and rebuilding the whole building.
The plans by Fleet House Development Ltd were approved unanimously today by the City of London Corporation’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee.
City of London Corporation Planning Applications Sub-Committee Chairman Shravan Joshi said:
“This development will take a rather dated 1950s office building with poor energy performance and turn it into a vibrant, modern, sustainable building which meets the needs of 21st century business.
“By keeping most of the existing building structure, creating a far more energy-efficient building than the current one and providing urban greening, it will contribute towards our ambition to make the Square Mile carbon net zero by 2040.
“The new pedestrian access to Bride’s Lane, and the new pub with a far more visible frontage, will bring a real vibrancy and life to the neighbourhood, in line with our Destination City vision to make the Square Mile a 24/7 visitor destination.”
The development will see a new 11th storey added to the existing building with a public rooftop garden on top, raising the total height by 3.2m to 44m, with additional new office levels at the rear.
The building’s sustainable credentials will be further boosted by ‘urban greening’ on the rooftop garden and private terraces, and the creation of 124 new cycle parking spaces.
