Knights Templar-inspired office building gets green light
Plans to build a mixed-use office scheme in Holborn on the site of the former Knights Templar Church have been approved by the City of London Corporation.
The new building will replace the existing Holborn Gate, Heron House and 44 Southampton Buildings on Chancery Lane.
It will include a 300-person capacity immersive auditorium as well as exhibition spaces for community events named the Holborn Dome.
At 50,000 sqm, the 10-story development will deliver 1.5 per cent of the Square Mile’s required grade A office space and will provide more than 3,000 jobs, according to the City of London Corporation.
While skyscrapers have been making headlines for their contributions to the City’s floorspace and skyline, the corporation also has heavy focus on smaller schemes and refit to achieve its goal of an extra 1.2m sqm of new office space by 2040.
As with other developments recently approved in the Square Mile, it has been promised that the Holborn building will meet the “highest sustainability credentials”, as well as offering “affordable workspace” to creative industries at 50 per cent rent.
“This is exactly the kind of scheme we want to see more of in the Square Mile – best-in-class office space that keeps London globally competitive, while also delivering public spaces that everyone can enjoy,” chairman of the City of London Corporation planning and transportation committee, Tom Sleigh, said.
The building, designed in the style of the Knights Templar will provide a remodelled “pocket park” and upgraded public routes around the site.
A church dedicated to the order once stood at almost the same position as where the new dome will sit –
“Supporting the primary business function of the City through meeting this huge level of demand for office space is critical, but I’m particularly pleased by the retention of sections of the Knights Templar, a brilliant way to connect the new venue with the history of the site,” Sleigh added.