Development around the station will provide homes, new shops and step-free access
South Kensington Station is one of the busiest stations on the London Underground, and in normal times welcomes around 34 million passengers a year to the area, which includes London’s world-famous museum quarter.
But for such an important location the station is rather shabby and is in need of improvement. There is also no step-free access. That could be soon to change.
Developer Native Land and Transport for London have been developing plans to refurbish and develop the buildings and land at South Kensington station, providing new homes, including 35% affordable housing, workspace, shops, as well as much-needed step-free access to the Circle & District lines.
After a long period of consultation with the local community, plans for the scheme were submitted in June 2020.
The proposals will create 50 new homes along Pelham Street, where there is currently vacant land and an unsightly wall, as well as on vacant land on Thurloe Square and in a new building behind the historic façade on Thurloe Street. Around a third of these homes will be affordable.
At what is called the ‘Bullnose’ of the station a new 4-storey building will be created, acting as a new landmark for the station itself. This will have workspace on the upper floors and shops at ground level.
The shops along Thurloe Street and in the historic station arcade will also be fully restored.
And (after many years of waiting) a new station entrance will be provided on Thurloe Street to provide a lift, giving step-free access to the station concourse and the platforms of the Circle & District lines. This will help parents with buggies and other people with mobility issues to access South Kensington and its shops, restaurants and of course the museums more easily.
The developers have recently submitted some changes to the plans, which are aimed at
improving the designs. These include reducing the amount of glass on the Bullnose building and using more stone, as well as increasing the width of the pavement on Pelham Street and reducing the height of the mansard roofs on Thurloe Street.
There is more information about these changes on the project website here: https://www.southkensingtonstation.co.uk
A spokesperson for the joint venture between Native Land and Transport for London, said:
“We are continuing to progress our planning application for the Around Station Development, which was submitted to Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) in June 2020. Following consultation with the council, Historic England, the local community and other key stakeholders, we have recently submitted some amendments to the proposals aimed at fine-tuning the designs.
“These refinements form part of our ongoing commitment to engage with all parties as we bring forward our plans to sensitively enhance and develop the buildings and land around South Kensington Station.
“Overall our proposals, which follow extensive consultation with the local community and stakeholders, will deliver 50 new homes, of which 35% will be affordable, the restoration of the historic station arcade to its former glory, new shops, high-quality offices, and will complete the delivery of step-free access to the Circle & District lines. Subject to planning permission, the development remains on track to start construction in 2023.”
