Iconic Town Hall ready for new life after London Assembly years – South London News

By Noah Vickers, local democracy reporter

Plans to transform and redevelop London's former City Hall building into shops, restaurants and offices have been approved, after local councilors were asked to grant permission for the project.

The former headquarters of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, designed by Lord Norman Foster, has sat empty and unused for the past three years, after Mayor Sadiq Khan moved its operations to a conference center in east London in a bid to cut costs. .

Under plans submitted by the building's private owner, Kuwaiti company St Martins Property Investments, the London landmark would undergo a major renovation, with the outer glass shell removed and several new balconies created.

The ground floor will include space for new cafes, shops and restaurants, with office space proposed on the upper floors.

Planning officers at Southwark Borough Council have recommended that the project be approved as it would modernize the building and its surrounding area and bring it back into use.

Most organizations and public bodies consulted on the proposals raised few or no objections to them, although some shared concerns about certain aspects of the project or requested that conditions be imposed as part of the building permit.

Historic England, for example, said the project would cause some, small-scale harm to the significance of Tower Bridge. Indeed, the plan involves extending part of the building, which would encroach on the view of the bridge seen from a key pedestrian route linking Tooley Street to the River Thames.

The building was specially designed to serve as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and was opened by the Queen in 2002.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone called it a glass testicle, while his successor Boris Johnson called it the glass gonad.

In 2020, the building would have cost GLA 11.1 million per year, including rent to St Martins, plus service charges and rates. This figure was expected to reach 12.6 million one year after Christmas 2021.

The decision to move the GLA's headquarters to the Crystal building in Newham which it owned was taken by Mayor Khan. He argued in 2020 that the move would save €55 million over five years, helping us protect and invest in the things that matter most to Londoners, while supporting the regeneration of the Royal Docks .

The building was vacated at the end of 2021 and the GLA has been operational in its new headquarters since the beginning of 2022.

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