HB Reavis’ Elizabeth House scheme to get green light

HB Reavis is expected to get the go-ahead for its redevelopment of Elizabeth House on York Road in Waterloo, SE1. The plans are minded for approval at Lambeth Council’s upcoming planning committee on 15 October. The firm submitted a planning application to redevelop the site in May. Designed by AHMM, the 1.2m sq ft scheme would provide workspace, 80,000 sq ft of flexible retail and leisure space, and transformed public realm next to the UK’s busiest railway station. The plans include a one-acre garden promenade, directly connected to the Waterloo station concourse, and a new pedestrian route called the Waterloo Curve lined with shops and cafés. The council said the development “would make an important contribution to the supply of office space in the borough… The design is of high quality and would greatly improve the public realm”. HB Reavis is seeking to replace the current planning permission for the site, which includes a combination of offices and luxury apartments designed by David Chipperfield Architects. The firm said last year that it wanted to scrap the plans it inherited when it acquired the site in May 2017 as it did not believe the site was right for residential development, adding that the apartments would “inevitably be hugely expensive for people to purchase and do little to meet London’s housing needs”.   To send feedback, e-mail anna.ward@egi.co.uk or tweet @annaroxelana or @estatesgazette