The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has intervened after Westminster City Council refused a 600-bed PBSA scheme for the second time.
The application, designed by Make Architects on behalf of Unite Students and Travis Perkins, comprises two linked towers, one of which would be 20 storeys high, opposite Paddington Station.
In January, the scheme was refused by Westminster’s strategic planning committee, with councillors saying that it would cause a “significant loss of daylight” and a “sense of enclosure” for neighbouring residents while also harming the setting of nearby Grade II listed buildings.
The Mayor has now informed Westminster City Council that he will take control of the application, saying that the scheme would make a “positive contribution towards London housing targets”. Khan said that a public hearing will be held in the coming months to decide whether the council’s decision would stand or be overruled.
The scheme would also see a Travis Perkins builders’ merchants demolished on Harrow Road, with a new branch to be created at ground level below the new student accommodation block.
The plans also include an indoor community space with access to a new canalside path, a new public walkway under Bishops Bridge Road and improvements to canal moorings.
In his letter to the council, the Mayor warned that “the non-delivery of 605 student bed spaces is considered to impact upon the implementation of the London Plan”.
He continued: “The support from a higher education provider with campuses in boroughs other than Westminster demonstrates the potential contribution of the proposed development to higher education providers across London.”
In the latest London Plan, it is estimated that at least 3,500 new student bed spaces need to be created each year to meet demand. The Paddington block plans include 35% of the bedrooms proposed to be provided at ‘affordable’ rent, which is the minimum allowed under the London Plan.
