The City of London Corporation Planning Applications Sub-Committee has approved the 55-65 Old Broad Steet scheme, yesterday (20 November). The proposals are for a 23 story, mixed-use building, that will facilitate the restoration of the listed Bishopsgate Bath House, opening it up to the public for the first time.
The development’s approval embodies the City Corporation’s goal to turn the Square Mile into a seven-day-a-week inclusive visitor destination, balancing the need for much needed, sustainable Grade A office space, whilst protecting and restoring the area’s heritage assets. The proposals also align with the Corporation’s climate action goals, with much of the existing structure at 65 Old Broad Street to be retained and refurbished, as opposed to being entirely redeveloped, saving millions of kilograms in carbon emissions across the building’s lifespan.
On the same day of the release of Deloitte’s Winter Crane Survey, showing high levels of developer optimism for office space demand, the 55-65 Old Broad Street approval will deliver more than 33,000sqm of Grade A office floorspace, along with funding for local job brokerage and training services. Meanwhile, the Victorian Bath House will be sensitively restored to become the centrepiece of the site, delivering space for new and inclusive education, cultural and community space, as the wonderful interior, influenced by Islamic architecture, becomes open and free to access to the public, artists and community groups from all of London’s communities, for the first time.
Additionally, the proposals will significantly improve public realm around the site for pedestrians and cyclists and provide new retail space for city workers and residents. This includes two new pedestrian routes leading to Liverpool Street Station and to the City Cluster.
Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transport Committee, Shravan Joshi, said:
“With its contributions to our need for office space, improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, transforming the City into a seven-day-a-week visitor destination, as well as our climate action goals, the 55-65 Old Broad Street scheme will become a great asset for the Square Mile.
“The dynamic juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern is a key aspect of the City charm and a characteristic we are determined to maintain. That is why we are actively looking for opportunities for development proposals to enhance and better reveal the City’s heritage assets, so that they can be accessed and enjoyed by the widest possible audience.”
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