The vast residential development at Chelsea Barracks – which has been in the building mix since 2007 – has suddenly announced a dramatic change in its ‘Masterplan’.
Blaming a change in the residential market conditions and “demand for housing”, the global Qatari Diar property company has issued new proposals that seek to amend the original planning consents gifted by Westminster Council in 2012 for what is known as ‘Phase 5’.
Instead of building 20 grand town houses with gardens, the developer now intends to build three blocks containing 95 of luxury flats in the northern part of the development. Heights and massing will vary from the current granted planning permission, but the developer claims that the adjustment will not materially change the end development.
Qatari Diar has hastily announced events for the public to preview the changes. These will take place on 1st, 2nd and 3rd April. Details are in the images below. A consultation survey is open until 25th April and can been found here. Another round of public consultation with more detailed plans will take place later this year.
The Citizen attended the first public meeting on 1st April which was convened by senior executives at Qatari Diar, its lead architect and planning advisors, in a room at Chelsea Barracks. The new plans – which had only been unveiled to planners at Westminster Council the day before – were discussed in detail by around 25 attendees.
The development is made up on six phases. Phases 1-3 are complete and Phase 4 is in mid-construction. Phase 5 will not start until 2027 and not finish until July 2030. And Phase 6 is not expected to be completed until 2033.
It emerged at the meeting that 15 grand townhouses – costing between £30-50m each – were completed in an earlier phase of the build, but they took years to sell as the super high-end housing market declined. A Qatari executive said that “three-four” of these house still remain unsold, which has led to a huge deficit in cash revenue. This disastrous outcome convinced the Qatari investors that it is not realistic to progress with the existing Phase 5 plans and build 20 further townhouses that may not sell.
In a statement on its website, Qatari Diar said: ‘To secure the viable and timely delivery of the masterplan, it is essential that we review our proposals for the next phase of the development, Phase 5, to respond to this evolving context. We are therefore proposing a number of amendments to Phase 5 to optimise housing delivery while preserving the amenity of our neighbours and upholding the design principles of the consented masterplan.
‘Our revised plans propose replacing 20 townhouses with approximately c.95 apartment units, ensuring a broader mix of housing types while minimising alterations to the consented height and design principles. This will reduce any impact on neighbouring properties and maintain the design codes of the consented scheme.’
For further information, visit the Chelsea Barracks consultation website.
