Westminster City Council has approved developer Reef Group’s plans to invest over £150m in Cavendish Square, transforming the space into a subterranean mixed-use destination in the heart of the West End and creating one of London’s premier public spaces.
Westminster City Council approved the plans via a virtual planning committee meeting, thought to be its first major application approval completed online.
Cavendish Square London is aimed at the $4.5trillion global health and wellbeing industry; leveraging the site’s unique location linking three of London’s most-iconic addresses – Harley Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.
We have worked closely with Westminster City Council to design an iconic destination for London and are delighted to have secured planning consent for the scheme
The scheme will deliver much-needed specialist facilities for London’s private healthcare sector, which has doubled in size in 10 years, and will also include premium retail and leisure space.
The development will total 280,000sq ft across four storeys below ground level.
Wellbeing and sustainability were key in influencing the design, with glazed lanterns at street level, light wells, and internal atria drawing natural light to the floors below.
At street level, statement entrances to Harley Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street complete the development.
Cavendish Square London will be one of the West End’s largest-ever developments, with floors of up to 80,000sq ft and floor-to-ceiling heights of up to 8m.
Above the development, Cavendish Square Gardens provides a natural extension of the below-ground space and a physical embodiment of the scheme’s vision – a wellbeing ecosystem in the heart of London.
Reef Group is now in advanced discussions with several tenants to occupy the space and construction is expected to start next year, with completion in 2023.
Stewart Deering, joint chief executive of Reef Group, said: “We have worked closely with Westminster City Council to design an iconic destination for London and are delighted to have secured planning consent for the scheme.
“We will invest more than £150m in developing a vibrant, sustainable and sensitively-designed place with a core focus on health and wellbeing.
“The scheme is designed with flexibility in mind and we’re talking to occupiers from a variety of sectors.
“The health and wellbeing industry is predicted to grow substantially and Cavendish Square London is well placed to respond to this trend.”
CBRE and Savills act as agents on the scheme, while UrbanR, a subsidiary of Reef Group, is the lead architect, supported by Gensler and Sonnemann Toon.
The subterranean development will cover four floors with a total floorspace of 280,000sq ft
