Holborn residents are challenging Camden Council’s decision to grant planning permission for the One Museum Street skyscraper in Bloomsbury. They are vowing to lobby The Mayor of London to reject the proposal.
“We’re not New York City”, commented Dean, a Holborn local who works in a building directly in the shadow of where the One Museum Street complex would be.
The development would replace an out-of-use building, formerly a Travelodge and NCP car park, with a 19-storey complex of retail, residential and office spaces.
The building, previously used as a Travelodge, will be demolished under the plans.
The site is owned by BC Partners who bought it from Labtech in 2022. Labtech initially submitted a planning application to develop the site in the Summer of 2021.
In a recent meeting, Camden Council recommended that permission be granted for the new development, which would include the demolition of the existing buildings.
Permission would be conditional on the authority of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, amongst other finalisations to the plans.
Kathy Doyle from the campaign group, Save Museum Street, told City News that plans for the building are “grotesque.”
She described the West Central Street component of the development as “incongruous to the other listed buildings around it.”
The Bloomsbury area is home to traditional Georgian architecture
These concerns are echoed by Historic England who submitted an objection to the application on the basis that it would harm protected areas nearby.
They say the development “would cause harm to important heritage within the site and the wider area, particularly due to the impacts of the proposed tall building upon the Bloomsbury Conservation Area.”
The campaign is supported by 20 local associations including the Soho Society who described the building as “ugly” and “way too high.”
They said that “central London is a conservation area for a very good reason and these schemes should put heritage first.”
The Bloomsbury Tavern pub will border the One Museum Street skyscraper to replace the Travelodge building behind it currently.
Marta Bagam, General Manager of The Bloomsbury Tavern pub next door, said the plans would be “good for business because they’ll bring more people into the area.”
However, she did admit that it could be “bad for the traditional look of the city.”
One Museum Street’s website note that they have conducted “public engagement with local stakeholders.”
Ms Doyle of Save Museum Street disputes this. She told City News, “what really irritates the community is that there has been no consultation at all.”
Trees on the site are covered in posters directing members of the public to object to their removal.
The application proposal was submitted in June of 2023 after it was amended from the original proposal Labtech submitted. It lowered the proposed height of the building from 21 storeys to 19.
One Museum Street said this was in response to feedback about the impact it would have on the community.
Members of the public have applied to speak at the Thursday meeting. We have reached out to One Museum Street for their response, and they are yet to reply.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineCamden Council will approve One Museum Street Skyscraper despite local criticism
Short HeadlineCamden Council to approve controversial Holborn Skyscraper
StandfirstCampaign group Save Museum Street say the development is ‘grotesque’ and will speak out against it in the planning committee meeting.
Holborn residents are challenging Camden Council’s decision to grant planning permission for the One Museum Street skyscraper in Bloomsbury. They are vowing to lobby The Mayor of London to reject the proposal.
“We’re not New York City”, commented Dean, a Holborn local who works in a building directly in the shadow of where the One Museum Street complex would be.
The development would replace an out-of-use building, formerly a Travelodge and NCP car park, with a 19-storey complex of retail, residential and office spaces.
The building, previously used as a Travelodge, will be demolished under the plans.
The site is owned by BC Partners who bought it from Labtech in 2022. Labtech initially submitted a planning application to develop the site in the Summer of 2021.
In a recent meeting, Camden Council recommended that permission be granted for the new development, which would include the demolition of the existing buildings.
Permission would be conditional on the authority of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, amongst other finalisations to the plans.
Kathy Doyle from the campaign group, Save Museum Street, told City News that plans for the building are “grotesque.”
She described the West Central Street component of the development as “incongruous to the other listed buildings around it.”
The Bloomsbury area is home to traditional Georgian architecture
These concerns are echoed by Historic England who submitted an objection to the application on the basis that it would harm protected areas nearby.
They say the development “would cause harm to important heritage within the site and the wider area, particularly due to the impacts of the proposed tall building upon the Bloomsbury Conservation Area.”
The campaign is supported by 20 local associations including the Soho Society who described the building as “ugly” and “way too high.”
They said that “central London is a conservation area for a very good reason and these schemes should put heritage first.”
The Bloomsbury Tavern pub will border the One Museum Street skyscraper to replace the Travelodge building behind it currently.
Marta Bagam, General Manager of The Bloomsbury Tavern pub next door, said the plans would be “good for business because they’ll bring more people into the area.”
However, she did admit that it could be “bad for the traditional look of the city.”
One Museum Street’s website note that they have conducted “public engagement with local stakeholders.”
Ms Doyle of Save Museum Street disputes this. She told City News, “what really irritates the community is that there has been no consultation at all.”
Trees on the site are covered in posters directing members of the public to object to their removal.
The application proposal was submitted in June of 2023 after it was amended from the original proposal Labtech submitted. It lowered the proposed height of the building from 21 storeys to 19.
One Museum Street said this was in response to feedback about the impact it would have on the community.
Members of the public have applied to speak at the Thursday meeting. We have reached out to One Museum Street for their response, and they are yet to reply.
