The scheme was given the green light by a unanimous vote at Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s planning committee on 7 July. It will create the 371-room Maldron Hotel and include space for life science research within a 13,800m2 office block.

The scheme at 76-80 Hammersmith Road will transform two office buildings arranged in a U-shape and connected by a shared basement, which were built in the 1980s and now sit mostly vacant.

A similar but smaller-scale office refurbishment and extension was proposed for the site in 2019, drawn up by tp bennett and given a resolution to grant permission by the council. However, this scheme stalled over S106 negotiations and was not built.

TP Bennett’s previously consented 2019 proposal (left) and AHMM’s recently consented proposal (right)

The AHMM design will demolish much of the existing site, but retain the western structural frame and the basement.

The hotel will provide a restaurant, café and bar on its ground floor in Hammersmith Road. The office space has a separate entrance and will offer affordable workspaces on the lower floors.

The retained basement will be used for a business centre, a gym for hotel guests, staff support spaces, plant rooms, cycle storage and end-of-trip facilities.

The site was bought from Danish pension fund and investment company Britannia Invest A/S by MPR in June 2023. The new owner selected AHMM to bring forward the current, comprehensive redevelopment plans.

Susie Le Good, executive director at AHMM, said: ‘Developed in collaboration with the wider project team, the design seeks to retain as much of the building as possible, integrating the basement and west-wing of the existing structure into the new hotel and office offering.

‘Neighbouring the £1.3 billion Olympia culture and entertainment venue, the building will enhance and activate this part of Hammersmith Road.’

Landscaping to for the courtyard in the centre of the scheme has been created by East to retain some existing trees and form a ‘lushly planted’ area to offer users a green space in which to sit.

The appearance of the building, featuring red/orange brickwork across contrasting panels, has been designed to ‘tie the proposals in with the adjoining buildings and overall street character’, according to AHMM.

A total of 52 letters of objection were submitted by residents, mainly questioning the need for a new hotel in an area already containing several, including the nearby Olympia redevelopment.

Others called the scale of the proposals an ‘overdevelopment’ which is out keeping with its surroundings and nearby conservation areas, and may affect the sunlight available to neighbouring residents.

But the planning officer concluded that significant public benefits of the scheme outweighed the impact to sunlight access and that the design of the new building was ‘high-quality’ and provided a ‘satisfactory design response to the site and surrounding townscape at its edges’.

Angus Monteith, development director at MRP, said he was hoping to show how ‘existing buildings can be adapted for the future through careful commercial management, sustainable thinking and high-quality design’.

Main contractor McAleer and Rushe is set to begin construction in early 2027, with completion expected in 2029.

 

Project data

Location Hammersmith Road, London, UK
Local authority Hammersmith and Fulham Council
Type of project Part retention and extension of existing building
Client MRP
Architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Landscape architect East
Planning consultant Gerald Eve
Structural engineer Elliott Wood
M&E consultant Caldwell
Principal designer Hasco Europe
Main contractor McAleer and Rushe
Start on site date Early 2027
Completion Expected 2029
Gross internal floor area m² 28,233m²
Form of contract and/or procurement
Planning application reference 2024/02007/FUL