New offices near Harrods get approval. Residents fear loss of privacy due to overlooking bedrooms.
The building site is at 1 Knightsbridge Green. Almost 2,000 workers can use the office space, and Westminster will gain more money for the area.
Berkeley Estate Asset Management proposed this plan. The planning committee voted, and the vote was very close, at two to three. Party lines determined the vote.
Rachael Robathan and Jim Glen voted against it. They were worried about privacy. Paul Fisher, Patrick Lilley, and Jason Williams voted yes. Jason Williams led the committee.
Fisher needed quality office space in Knightsbridge. He thought it was more important. He said the area is important to the country and helps the economy.
Robathan liked the design, but said residents on Raphael Street lose privacy. She felt the new building was too massive, especially on that street.
Glen worried about workers on terraces who could look into homes across the road. The old Caltex House will be torn down. It’s mostly empty now.
A modern building will replace it. Twelve thousand extra square meters will be for offices. A pub, restaurant, and post office stay on the ground floor. It will cost over £100 million.
A garden, terraces, and bike parking will be included. The plan includes carbon savings at schools. This would help reduce emissions.
The new building has two entrances. They face Raphael Street and Brompton Road. The building will block sunlight and make Raphael Street feel smaller. One person said they would lose sunlight.
Elizabeth Hitchcock said it would feel canyon-like and overwhelming. The council said it won’t harm privacy too much.
Workers on balconies caused worry about privacy. The council put in frosted glass after concerns from Glen and Robathan. Workers could see inside homes.
The old building is poor quality, according to BEAM. Only 200 people used it then. The area improvement group agreed, and they called it unattractive.
BEAM promised public improvements worth £2 million. Caltex House was made in the 1950s. Tattersalls used to be on the site. It was a horse auction house, but World War II damaged it.