Museum of London gets nod for new Smithfield home

A new £337m home for the Museum of London has been given the go-ahead despite concerns over its impact on Smithfield Market. The development will see a 358,868 sq ft complex built on the site of historic buildings at West Smithfield, Farringdon, EC1, including the Grade II-listed Poultry Market, General Market and The Annexe. The City of London Corporation’s planning committee report on the plans called the development “an exceptional opportunity to sensitively revive an underutilised area of Smithfield into a new destination that would be accessible for all and have substantial economic, environmental, cultural and social benefits”. However, the scheme has been criticised by representatives of traders in the market. Greg Lawrence, chairman of the Smithfield Market Tenants’ Association and local trader, described the plans in the corporation’s virtual planning meeting as “half-baked” and “premature” given that the Poultry Market is still in use.   Lawrence added that traders are unwilling to relocate to the former Barking Reach Power Station, which the City of London Corporation wants to convert into a new market to house Smithfield, Billingsgate and New Spitalfields markets. Several planning committee members, including William Upton and Marianne Fredericks, also raised concerns about the coexistence of the market and the museum in the near term. Sharon Ament, director at the Museum of London, said she was “genuinely sad to hear the SMTA’s concerns,” but hoped the museum would be a good neighbour. She added that it is “virtually impossible to do a phased design” for the museum, meaning there is no option to delay development of the Poultry Market until later in the scheme. Gwyn Richards, interim chief planning officer at the City of London Corporation, said the City can draft a condition for the planning approval to ensure replacement facilities are provided for businesses in the market prior to the scheme beginning. Committee members and the museum agreed to insert such a clause. Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with Julian Harrap Architects, the new museum will span the two market buildings alongside a range of retail, office, gym, restaurant and cafés around the perimeter of the General Market and the Annexe site. The City of London Corporation has invested £197m of the £337m needed to deliver the scheme. The Mayor of London is has also announced a contribution capped at £70m, while the Museum of London has raised £27m. A further £43m needs to be raised to deliver the project. Gerald Eve advised on the planning for the application. To send feedback, e-mail louise.dransfield@egi.co.uk or tweet @DransfieldL or @estatesgazette