Leading art expert has criticised health research charity’s plans to build ‘pretty hideous’ office block

By Julia Gregory, local democracy reporter

A leading art expert has criticised a health research charity’s plans to build a “pretty hideous” office building in South Kensington.

Charles Saumarez Smith, the former head of the Royal Academy, said he was dismayed by the Wellcome Trust’s plans for a site in Pelham Street, close to the Victorian South Kensington tube station.

The trust wants to knock down a 1920s office block designed by Kensington architect C Stanley Peach for the Kensington and Knightsbridge Electric Lighting Company.

It wants to replace the block with a six-storey development, dropping to four storeys near neighbouring houses.

It predicted the building will support 510 jobs with workers spending £1m a year in the area.

And it said there was a lack of suitable work space in the area and the new building will include space for start-ups.

“Our plan is to create a building of high architectural quality that will contribute to the wider area and create a vibrant neighbourhood.”

The development would help it fund “health-related projects and research, including tackling COVID-19,” it said.

It also plans to develop another block it owns in the street.

Mr Saumarez Smith said it is “not without interest” and described the proposed building as “nondescript” .

The  judge for the Stirling Prize for Architecture, the BP Portrait Award, and Professor of Architectural History at the Royal Academy of Arts wrote on his blog: “One might expect the Wellcome Trust to want to restore and reinstate the original building. But, oh no ! They plan to demolish it and put up a pretty hideous and non-descript replacement.”

The Kensington Society questioned the need for a 116 per cent increase in office floor space.

It also had concerns about the visual impact of the new office block on the edge of a conservation area.

“As a result of the increase in height and mass, the proposed development would be highly visible when travelling along Pelham Street and from Brompton Road. The proposed development would be an especially significant/ dominant feature in the street scene,” the society said in its objection.

Ward councillors Mary Weale and Sof McVeigh said they had “grave concerns about safety issues particularly given the comparatively narrow pavements” because of plans for deliveries on the very busy street near Brompton Cross, which is home to luxury shops.

The developer said it plans to widen the pavement.

However supporters also write to the council to say: “More workers in this location will add to the vibrancy of the local economy. Old Brompton Road retail was struggling before the  pandemic.”