Impression of how the new building in Mayfair might look

PLANS for new offices and a rooftop garden above a former Fenwick department store have been given the go-ahead.

City councillors voted unanimously in favour of Lazari Investments’ plan to transform the building into high-grade retail and office space. The proposal will now head to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s desk where he will have 14 days to approve or reject it.

The Westminster committee had expressed concerns about the bulk of the new build but praised the developer for retaining 75 per cent of the existing historic façades in place and half of the existing building.

Planning committee chair Cllr Ruth Bush said: “I’m very impressed with this. It’s very uplifting to get an application like this, with the work that has gone into it and the imagination that has gone into it, the engagement with people… and the opportunities for people in Westminster and around for employment.

“It’s lovely, it’s great.”

Len Lazari told councillors the existing building was not suitable for modern-day retailing and said the different levels of flooring made it inaccessible for some. “Over 100 years Fenwick’s organic expansion across six buildings resulted in the department store with 37 different levels,” he said.

The scheme will see a partial demolition of the store at New Bond Street and Brook Street, Mayfair, and it “jacked up” with new floor slabs and façades to create new office and retail space.

The bottom two levels will be developed into “high-quality” retail space while the second to ninth floors will be dedicated office space and a lavish roof garden above.

There will also be external terraces with greenery from the fourth to ninth floors. Because of its size, the proposal requires approval from the Mayor of London, whose office initially expressed concerns about the height and design of the scheme.

The proposal would see a 7,600sq m reduction in retail space which is being driven by what Westminster City Council’s report said is the “need to reconfigure the site to its optimal layout for office use”.

In the report, officers wrote: “The proposal will provide an appropriate combination of modern retail and office accommodation that accords with the relevant London Plan and city plan policies and is therefore considered to be acceptable.”

Fenwick began trading from its New Bond Street store in 1891.

The company received planning permission in 2020 for a significant extension to the property but in 2022 it sold up to Lazari Investments Ltd.