LDA Design and the vision for re-imagining former Mayor of London's City Hall

CGI of 110 The Queen's Walk, courtesy of LDA Design

St Martins Property Investments Limited is unveiling plans to sensitively refurbish and revitalise the vacant building located at 110 The Queen’s Walk, formerly known as City Hall, and its surrounding public realm. The company has appointed LDA Design and Gensler to help deliver its vision.

The former City Hall was the location of several Future Cities Forums with leaders from the GLA, Infrastructure and Projects Authority, National Infrastructure Commission and many local councils contributing to discussion and research reports.

A public exhibition will showcase this vision for transforming the building into a forward-looking, mixed-use destination. 110 The Queen’s Walk has been vacant since the GLA moved to the Royal Docks in March 2022. The proposed changes aim to contribute to the vibrancy of London’s South Bank, whilst adding to the area’s economy.

The newly revealed proposals include:

• Maximising retention: The proposals seek to maximise the retention of the building’s structure and to reuse materials where possible.

• Retention of the building’s character: The fundamentals of the building, including its circular footprint and sculpted form, are proposed to be retained as part of the proposals.

• Extension of floorplates: Enlarging the floorplates to create versatile and practical internal spaces, enhancing the long-term viability of the building, and attracting high-quality occupiers for both office spaces and publicly accessible uses on the ground floor.

• Enhanced the public realm: Featuring increased biodiversity and the removal of the current ‘garage’ structure to connect and extend the public realm, fostering a more dynamic environment on the South Bank.

• Replacement of unsustainable building palette: Improving the building’s environmental performance by replacing outdated extensive glazing with a greater balance of sustainable materials.

• Ground floor spaces for cafés, shops and restaurants: Enriching the South Bank by introducing new cafés, shops and restaurants, generating employment opportunities and increasing the local amenity for everyone.

Charlie Prentis, representing St Martins Property Investments Limited, shared thoughts on the proposals and the upcoming consultation:

“Our ambition has centred around the modernisation of a building designed for a specific role, into re-imagined, open mixed-use accommodation, all the while safeguarding its intrinsic character. Through sensitive design, we aim to strike the optimal balance to ensure it remains a highly sought-after destination for both Londoners and visitors to London Bridge City.

“We have appointed architects Gensler and landscape architects LDA Design to help deliver our vision. Our focus is on sustainability and an expanded biodiverse public realm, complemented by contemporary designed workspace, shops, cafés and restaurants. Our proposal offers a diverse array of amenities for all to appreciate.”

Following the public exhibition events, which form part of St Martins Property Investments Limited’s consultation activity, proposals will be reviewed, subject to further community consultation, and finalised in preparation for a planning application submitted to the London Borough of Southwark.