Selborne House and Wellington House, London, United Kingdom

London borough revitalisation brought closer with approval for 2 schemes

The run down Victoria borough in London, is taken one step closer to regeneration with the approval of two key schemes by Westminster City Council. Selbourne House and Wellington House, will join further Land Securities' projects in the borough: Cardinal Place, which completed in 2006; and VTI2 which gained permission last month, providing a mix of offices, shops, cafés, restaurants and homes to the area.

Colette O’Shea, Head of Development of Land Securities’ London Portfolio, said: “Victoria is on the way to becoming the commercial centre of the West End. Land Securities’ relationship with Victoria spans decades and our understanding of its changing needs underpins everything we do in the area. Selborne House and Wellington House form the next exciting chapter of the improvement process along Victoria Street. We will continue the regeneration ripple effect, attracting new residents, businesses and visitors.”

The current Selborne House, an outdated 1960’s office building, will be replaced by a new building offering premium office accommodation suitable for modern occupiers. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Swanke Hayden Connell, the building will also create street-level shops and restaurant/café spaces fronting onto both Victoria Street and a new canopied pedestrian area that will be opened up to connect Victoria Street, Spenser Street and Seaforth Place, providing opportunities for pavement cafés and outdoor public seating.

Selborne House has been designed to be environmentally sensitive. Its systems have been selected to limit the use of energy and emission of carbon dioxide and several green walls and a landscaped terrace will be installed to enhance bio-diversity and reduce urban rainwater run-off. This approach is part of Land Securities’ wider commitment to make London a more sustainable city.

Responding to Westminster City Council’s priority of residential land use within the London Central Activities Zone, the redevelopment of Wellington House will deliver 59 high-quality contemporary residential apartments, all designed to meet Lifetime Homes specifications, with 10 per cent of apartments being wheelchair accessible.

The new Wellington House has been designed by award winning architectural practice John McAslan + Partners and is intended to complement the traditional London red-brick mansion block, of which Victoria has many.
source: www.worldarchitecturenews.com
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