…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
Residents of Huguenot House, a council-owned building on Oxendon Street, have been left in limbo due to years of uncertainty about the future of their building.
Westminster Council has been considering possible redevelopment plans for the building, which was originally built in the 1960s to house people who worked late in the theatres, for almost a decade.
The previous Conservative administration wanted to demolish the eight-story concrete building, which sits on a podium above a cinema and 247-space car park.
The change of political control last year, with Labour unexpectedly sweeping into power, has put these plans on hold.
Instead, the Labour-run council is about to embark on a £2 million refurbishment that would involve replacing hundreds of window frames before deciding the long-term future of the building.
Residents in the 35 flats of Huguenot House have commissioned an alternative vision proposal for the building.
The scheme, drawn up by Mayfair-based architects Fenton Whelan, would involve installing an exoskeleton façade to soften the appearance of the building and allowing the creation of new balconies on the southern façade and new winter gardens for the north-facing homes
. There would also be green walls, new commercial space, and garden terraces.
The transformed building would use green technologies such as photovoltaic panels on the roof and garden deck.
One further option being looked at is a “Grow Home” mini-urban farm that could showcase organic food production and sustainable food technology.
It would be the first of its kind in central London.
The estimated £40 million cost of the makeover would be funded by extra stories being built on top of the building, creating new apartments that could be sold off to private buyers.
Sanjay Sharma, co-founder of Fenton Whelan, says that the new proposals would allow the existing leasehold residents to remain largely in situ while the building is being transformed.
The plans would deliver on the council’s commitment to net-zero new projects, provide new affordable housing in excess of minimum policy requirements, and avoid carbon release from demolition.
Dr. Peter Kertesz, Secretary of the Huguenot House Residents’ Association, said that he and many other long-leaseholders and tenants love Huguenot House and have lived in the building very happily for many years.
They have been fighting the previous administration’s plans to demolish the building for over nine years.
A demolition scheme would go against the council’s policy to minimize pollution of the environment through the demolitions of sound buildings.
A Westminster council spokesperson said that a final decision on whether to refurbish or replace Huguenot House has not yet been made.
The work being discussed at the moment is essential maintenance work only and not related to the longer-term future of the site.
As landlord, if the council doesn’t carry out the recommended repairs, the building may be compromised from a health and safety perspective.
Any commercial partnership with a developer would, as usual, be subject to a rigorous and transparent procurement process undertaken by the City Council, and residents would be a key part of that.
Residents’ Proposal
The residents of Huguenot House have commissioned an alternative vision proposal for the building, which aims to extend the building’s life, make it more sustainable, and let them stay in their homes.
Fenton Whelan, a Mayfair-based architecture firm, drew up the scheme, which involves installing an exoskeleton façade, creating new balconies, winter gardens, green walls, new commercial space, and garden terraces.
The transformed building would use green technologies such as photovoltaic panels on the roof and garden deck.
One further option being looked at is a “Grow Home” mini-urban farm that could showcase organic food production and sustainable food technology.