Your New Town Hall - Lambeth Civic Centre

Client: Muse Developments and Lambeth Council
Location: Brixton
Discipline(s):

The new Lambeth Civic Centre officially opened its doors in March 2018 following the reopening of the refurbished Town Hall in January 2018 as part of the first phase of this exciting regeneration project. GL Hearn negotiated a complex and phased planning permission but all worth it with a wonderful new civic hub in the heart of Brixton that can better serve the needs of everyone at Lambeth serving the local community.

Project requirements
Muse Developments were selected by Lambeth Council’s as their development partner for a significant town centre regeneration project in Brixton town centre which comprises a new 120,000 sq ft civic office and customer service centre, the substantial refurbishment of a Grade II listed town hall, new public realm, commercial floorspace and 194 new homes within three residential buildings. The proposals create a new civic hub within Brixton for LB Lambeth with the civic buildings having a capacity for circa 2,400 members of staff. The proposals are located over two core development parcels with a combined area of 1.68ha. with the project having a total value of circa £170m. GL Hearn secured planning and listed building consent in October 2015 and has since advised on all post-consent matters. The civic accomodaiton (Phase 1) has recently been completed and is now operational.

The Issue
The development proposals included a number of high density land uses within a confined urban environment in Brixton town centre. The development site is extremely sensitive with a number of defined heritage assets located both within and adjacent to the site. A further key matter was that of highways with the site being located on a TFL red route as well as requiring an innovative ‘car free’ approach for both a significant civic use and 194 residential units.

The GL Hearn Solution
Working with a number of key stakeholders including TFL, GLA, Historic England and various Council departments GL Hearn negotiated a complex and phased planning permission. The proposals of note secured a tall building within a Conservation Area following a robust case being made to the Historic England and the GLA, with the wider regeneration benefits being a key consideration.

"GL Hearn have supported Muse with obtaining planning permission and delivery of the Your New Town Hall scheme in Brixton. In projects such as this which is a partnership between the public and private sector engagement with various parties is a necessity and GL Hearn have always led from the forefront. They have worked tirelessly providing expert advice and ensuring a smooth progress through all stages of the development".

James Stockdale
Senior Development Manager, Muse Developments Ltd

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