Native Land’s postponed Kilmuir House plans approved

Native Land has won an appeal against the decision by Westminster City Council’s planning committee to refuse its plans for Kilmuir House in Belgravia, SW1. The original planning application, submitted in late February 2020, detailed delivering a six-storey building comprising 60 homes. The approved apartments will include an additional four affordable homes. In addition to the homes, Kilmuir House will include 800 sq ft of flexible retail floorspace on the ground floor. The development will be all-electric and run on green energy, with air source heat pumps and photo voltaic panels. The buildings have been specified with a 120-year design life. The Pilbrow & Partners-designed plans were initially refused by Westminster in June 2022, with the planning committee concluding that the proposal delivered insufficient affordable housing. On 3 February 2023, the planning inspector ruled that Native Land’s appeal against the refusal should be allowed, following Westminster’s acknowledgement during the course of the public inquiry there was in fact no breach of planning policy and that the development should be approved. Alasdair Nicholls, chief executive of Native Land, said: “We are pleased to have brought a four-year planning process to a positive conclusion, achieving consent in Belgravia at a time when planning permissions for new homes in central London are becoming a rarity. “Our proposals were policy compliant, following more than a year of pre-application discussions, and had the support of local residents and stakeholders. It has been a time-consuming and costly process for all parties and illustrates the challenges planning in London presents for the delivery of homes of all types. “I’m grateful to the project team for their support and tenacity, which has ultimately achieved a consent for a development which will bring significant benefits to the local area.” To send feedback, e-mail akanksha.soni@eg.co.uk or tweet @EGPropertyNews Image © Pilbrow & Partners