Camden Council has rubber-stamped plans to remake Euston Tower as a life sciences and “innovation hub”, after it stood vacant for four years.
The Town Hall’s planning committee this week gave consent to developer British Land’s bid to partially demolish the current building and turn it into a 32-story mixed-use tower.
British Land said it was “delighted” to have won approval to construct a “world-class science and technology building” for Camden.
“Euston Tower will be a blueprint for sustainable development, delivering an all-electric building fit for the future”, a company press release said.
The revamped tower will be home to new offices, including lab-enabled workspaces.
Camden’s decision comes despite opposition from those unconvinced by British Land’s commitment to sustainable building.
Climate Emergency Camden (CEC) pushed back against the plans, citing the risk the construction would have a deep carbon footprint, particularly from the potential emissions impact of steel and concrete cladding.
While the developers committed to keeping a third of the original structure through “partial deconstruction and reuse”, CEC argued that this should be closer to 90 per cent.
The activists also disputed the need for lab-enabled spaces in the area, suggesting they be placed in Canary Wharf’s unused towers instead.
A subsequent assesment showed the plans do not meet the council’s “aspirational” carbon reduction targets, largely because lab-enabled spaces use more energy than standard offices.
Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill also objected to the plans, claiming the revamped tower would have an “overbearing form” and will be “prominently” visible from these parks.
Royal Parks similarly argued the new skyscraper would hurt the views from from Kensington Gardens and Primrose Hill.
But the council believes this impact is “less than substantial”, and that public benefits from the project will outweight any harm to the area.
British Land has proposed £27 million towards the delivery of 28 affordable housing units off-site, at Tybald’s Estate, as part of the application.
This won the full backing from Regent’s Park councillor Nasim Ali (Labour), who praised the developer’s “sustainable and inclusive” vision for the building.
He highlighted that the project would create “at least” 160 apprenticeships and 70 jobs for locals in the construction and high-growth sectors.
The council’s local plan had identified the surrounding Euston Area, to which the tower is adjacent, as a zone where it expects to see the “most significant growth”.
British Land’s Head of development, David Lockyer, added that the building’s Euston Road location, “where the Knowledge Quarter meets the West End”, will allow businesses to benefit from nearby academic and research institutions.
The 124m tower was notably once the home of Capital Radio in the 1970s and British satellite company Inmarsat.
Its new design will be led by Danish architectural firm 3XN GXN, with support from British architects Adamson Associates and DSDHA Studio.
Camden’s decision will now be put to the Mayor of London for final approval.
