The London mayor’s former City Hall headquarters is set for a landmark revamp – bringing shops and restaurants to the ground floor.
Owners St Martins Property Investments Ltd said the transformation would ensure it remains a “highly sought-after destination”.
The building is currently vacant after Mayor Sadiq Khan relocated the Greater London Assembly’s (GLA) offices to Newham in March 2022.
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According to a statement released by St Martin’s, a Kuwaiti investment firm that bought the iconic building in 2013, it’s proposing a range of changes.
This includes bringing spaces for cafes, shops and restaurants to the ground floor and replacing “outdated extensive glazing”.
A concept design shows the building looking quite different – with the exterior glass shell removed exposing the building’s levels.
In 2021, architectural heritage charity The Twentieth Century Society (C20) named the former City Hall as the second most endangered building in England.
However, St Martin’s stated its proposals “seek to maximise the retention of the building’s structure”.
City Hall was built in 2002, and designed by architect Norman Foster, costing £43 million, before being leased to the GLA.
Distinctive for its neo-futuristic style, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as the ‘glass gonad’.
However, after roughly twenty years on the site, Mayor Sadiq Khan relocated the GLA to The Crystal building in Newham’s Royal Docks.
He said City Hall’s rent, then forecasted to rise to £9.6 million in 2021, was too expensive.
The Mayor claimed relocation would save £61 million over five years, a figure that was later disputed.
Following the GLA’s departure, experts speculated that St Martin’s could struggle to lease the property due to its unusual design.
Oli Marshall, Campaigns Manager at the C20 Society previously said: “It was purpose-built as the home for the Assembly so it had a lot of things that were intended for that usage. The Assembly Chamber is the most evident.”
Speaking again in the wake of St Martins’ latest proposals, Mr Marshall said the C20 Society would be reviewing any future plans.
He added: “As a purpose-built home for London’s democracy and a landmark of the new Millennium, any plans for Foster + Partners City Hall deserve close scrutiny.
“Finding a new use for the building is to be welcomed, yet the Society contends that sympathetic adaptions are still achievable within a building of such significant architectural and heritage value.”
Two exhibitions have been planned for December 7 and December 9 at Hay’s Galleria where people can give their feedback on the proposals.
https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/south-bank/south-banks-former-city-hall-set-for-landmark-revamp/
