Iconic City Hall all set for new lease of life post-London Assembly years
By Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to transform and re-purpose London’s former City Hall building into shops, restaurants and offices have been approved, after local councillors were advised to grant permission for the scheme.
The ex-headquarters of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, designed by Lord Norman Foster, has stood empty and unused for the last three years, after mayor Sadiq Khan relocated operations to a conference centre in east London in a bid to cut costs.
Under plans submitted by the building’s private landlord, Kuwaiti-owned St Martins Property Investments, the London landmark would undergo a major face-lift, with the exterior glass shell removed and several new balconies created.
The ground floor will include spaces for new cafes, shops and restaurants, with office spaces proposed on the upper floors.
Planning officers at Southwark council have recommended that the project be approved, as it would “modernise the building and surrounding area and bring it back into use”.
Most of the organisations and public bodies consulted on the proposals have raised few or no objections to them, though some have shared concerns about aspects of the scheme or asked that conditions be imposed as part of planning permission.
Historic England, for example, has said the project would cause “some harm, of a low level, to the significance of Tower Bridge”. This is because the plan involves extending part of the building, which would “encroach” upon the view of the bridge when seen from a key pedestrian route linking Tooley Street with the Thames.
The building was purpose-designed as the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) headquarters and was opened by the Queen in 2002.
Former mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a ‘glass testicle’, while his successor Boris Johnson dubbed it the ‘glass gonad’.
The building was in 2020 reported to cost the GLA £11.1m a year, including rent to St Martins, plus service charges and rates. This was due to rise to £12.6m a year after Christmas 2021.
The decision to move the GLA’s headquarters to the Crystal building in Newham – which it owned – was made by mayor Khan. He argued in 2020 that the move would “save £55 million over five years, which would help us to protect and invest in the things that matter most to Londoners, as well as supporting the regeneration of the Royal Docks.”
The building was vacated at the end of 2021, with the GLA up and running in its new headquarters from early 2022.