The Ray, 119 Farringdon Road, London Borough of Islington

The Challenge

We were instructed by Viridis Properties 5 to provide town planning consultancy advice on proposals for the demolition and redevelopment of the former Guardian HQ building in Farringdon.

Key planning issues included the removal of seven TPO London Plan trees (of personal interest to the Mayor at the time, Boris Johnson), housing provision, the level of affordable workspace to be provided and servicing access to the scheme. The scheme attractive significant local interest.

The Solution

We led negotiations with Islington Council and the Greater London Authority, and an extensive community consultation was undertaken.

Planning permission was granted, for a scheme designed by AHMM Architects, to provide approximately 12,500 sq m of office floorspace, a significant proportion of affordable workspace, 1,100 sq m of flexible retail, a new area of public realm, as well as terraces for the upper levels. A payment in lieu of housing was agreed.

The Results

The scheme is now complete and fully occupied as LinkedIn’s London headquarters. The affordable workspace is to be occupied through Islington’s affordable workspace provider list.