Portland House Could Be Demolished

Portland House Could Be Demolished

Portland House, the infamous 99 metre tall block near Victoria Station in London, could be set for an intimate date with a demolition ball if plans go ahead to build a massive new development in the area.

Owned by Land Securities who are planning the Bressenden Place development, it's understood that the developer has no space in their scheme for the existing concrete block which means if possible it will have to go despite being fully let.

Furthermore, demolishing it could act as a fig leaf to try and bring the heritage lobby on-side who will be up in arms over the effect that new towers could have on Buckingham Palace by hinging approval on the demolition of an unpopular eyesore that can be replaced with more aesthetically pleasing buildings. Combined with the planning gain to be gotten from improvements to Victoria Station, this could prove a powerful argument for the normally anti high-rise Westminster Council.

From Land Sec's view, such an old building would also clash with their plans for a shiny new business development, it's a bit hard to market all that glass and steel when right over the road you have a hulking sixties block dragging your image down.

The development wont just include offices, there will also be an enormous 800 apartments contained within that are bound to sell for top-whack prices thanks to the posh location of Victoria. New plazas will also be built with a large amount of retail fronting on to them and landscaped public spaces.

The new towers will be residential and see an elliptical floor-plate used with a vertical profile that will taper in slightly at the top and bottom. Ringing their base areas will be diagonal cross-bracing that overlaps the recessed retail and office podiums they will stand over. Height is estimated at about 50 floors each in current proposals.

The office blocks will be located under them directly and in adjoining lower-rise ground-scrapers that have more commercially friendly floor-plates and should fit in nicely with the nearby Cardinal Place that Land Securities have recently finished building.

If you're interested in seeing more, the scheme will be shown off at a public exhibition at Portland House between the 7th and 10th of March, 2011.

Gold Coast Family Law Solicitors
OC Real Estate