Plans are out for one of the most hotly anticipated redevelopments in London, at Earl’s Court, on now-derelict land which once hosted a word-famous events centre.
The 40-arce site between Brompton Cemetery and High Street Kensington will feature 4,000 new homes, over a third of them classed as “affordable”. There will also be 200,000 square feet of space for “retail, dining, leisure and culture”.
Fewer tall buildings and more open space are among the main changes from the last proposals, issued in February, with a 20% increase in open space and a 10% reduction in the amount of development compared with the last set. It means Around 60% of the land will not be built on, including an urban park called The Table, as well as a community green and water features, alongside a feature channelling the area’s history called Exhibition Gardens.
And there will be what the Earls Court Development Company calls “a new ecological corridor” which will form a major connection between the site and West Brompton. It will be in the form a parkland, directly accessible from the Tube station.
It is the largest cleared development site in London, straddling the border of Zone One and Zone Two. Coming at a time when the most eye-catching regeneration has been going on in the Eastend, it is pulling the spotlight back up West.
ECDC’s redrawn proposals follow a wave of opposition to its original plans from Earl’s Court’s neighbours, not least from local social housing estates that were due to be knocked down, and Labour controlled Hammersmith & Fulham council. The developer, in which Transport for London has a 37% stake, bought the site from Capco in 2019 for £425 million and the two estates – Gibbs Green and West Kensington – were returned to the council.
The old exhibition centre was once the venue of a host of internationally famed exhibitions – from the London Boat Show to Crufts and the Brit Awards. Even with its long and varied history, including world-renowned blockbuster concerts from the likes of Oasis and Led Zeppelin, it shut in 2014.
The plans were announced under the banner “bringing the wonder back to Earl’s Court” in what its architects want to be “an inclusive neighbourhood designed for all stages of life”.That means “diverse cultural spaces including production and recording studios as well as fixed and pop-up venues to host performance alongside a hotel.”
Rob Heasman, CEO of ECDC, said: “Whether you live here, work here, or visit here, this will be a place designed for everyone, that brings joy to everyday life.”
He added: “There is no other central London site like this; this is our chance to build sustainably and innovatively for the future, ensuring that Earls Court is a place to discover wonder for generations to come.”
