ARUNDEL GREAT COURT
A Case Study in Overcoming Ownership and Planning Constraints
- Projects by Steve Riddell at previous employers
challenges
Arundel Great Court is a large site located in Midtown, spanning over 3 acres, with a headlease held by the Earl of Arundel that required renegotiation. The site also featured a 40-year-old brutalist building, designed by Frederick Gibbard in the 1960s, situated within a conservation area and fronting the River Thames. The combination of ownership restrictions and a challenging planning brief made generating value for a ground-up scheme particularly complex.
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Creative Solutions
To overcome these challenges, extensive viability testing was carried out to assess the potential for reusing the existing brutalist building. Ultimately, the decision was made to pursue a development that would encompass a new build solution.
A limited competition was held to select the right architectural teams to address the two distinct halves of the site one for residential and hotel uses, and the other for commercial office space.
Wilkinson Eyre was selected for the commercial portion, while Horden Cherry Lee was chosen to design the residential and hotel spaces. This approach ensured that each part of the site received specialist attention, ultimately creating a coherent, high-quality mixed-use development.
Outcomes
Despite the complexities involved and the necessity to appeal the planning decision, the development ultimately secured planning consent for over 1 million square feet of mixed-use space, including office, residential, retail, and hotel components. The entire process, from initial conception to planning approval, was achieved in under three years, a remarkable turnaround given the ownership and planning hurdles.
The project’s planning success not only reflects the ability to navigate intricate planning and ownership challenges but also highlights the importance of strategic architectural partnerships to deliver a successful, large-scale urban development.
- Other case studies led by Steve Riddell
