New Attempt to Turn Hammersmith Road Offices into Flats

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Revised application submitted for change of use of Griffin House

Griffin House. Picture: Facebook

December 30, 2024

A new attempt is being made to transform Griffin House, a four storey office building at 161 Hammersmith Road, into flats.

The building is currently occupied by Virgin Media, but is set to become empty from spring when the communications giant moves to new headquarters in Paddington.

A previous application to create 94 new flats was rejected earlier this year by planners at Hammersmith & Fulham Council, who said that eight of the proposed flats would not have sufficient light and six were below the regulatory minimum size, ‘thus failing to provide a suitable living environment for future occupiers’.

Now, as expected, a new application has been submitted - this time for 86 flats. A planning statement prepared by real estate advisor Gerald Eve LLP on behalf of the developer, Griffin House Ltd says the eight units rejected by the council have been removed from the scheme, and all 86 units now meet the criteria for the minimum level of sunlight.

Council planners also said that six of the proposed flats were two bed, four person units with a floor area of less than the required 70sqm. In the new scheme, these six units have been changed to two bed, three person units, all meeting the minimum floor area of 60sqm.

Car parking spaces have been removed and the scheme’s Traffic Assessment revised to include a healthy streets approach, and a Fire Strategy added.

The planning statement says; “ The revised application therefore overcomes all of the reasons for refusal and as such, the application should be approved.”

You can view the application for change of use of the building and supporting documents on the council website using the reference 2024/03032/PMA56.

This is one of a number of applications from developers hoping to turn local offices into flats, as it becomes more difficult to attract new tenants.

Gerald Eve’s report says occupiers are increasingly leaving outdated offices in Hammersmith and moving to higher quality accommodation in the surrounding West End markets or White City.

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