World famous Turnmills venue in Clerkenwell to be demolished
�The famous venue which housed Turnmills nightclub is to be demolished and replaced with a six-storey office complex.
At a meeting on Thursday, members of the Islington Council planning committee approved controversial plans from developer Derwent London for the site in Clerkenwell Road.
The building, created in 1886 as a warehouse for the Great Northern Railway Company, housed the Turnmills nightspot between 1985 and 2008.
Derwent London, which developed the Angel Building in St John Street, Clerkenwell, failed to gain permission from the council and a government planning inspector on appeal with a similar application in 2010.
But now councillors have backed the new design which is now one storey lower and of a lighter colour.
You may also want to watch:
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Joe Caluori, vice-chairman of the planning committee, said: “The building itself has historical significance but not in terms of the actual design, which isn’t fantastic. This would be an appropriate building which would make a positive contribution.”
Objection
Most Read
- 1 'Extreme' noise complaint as 150 gather for Islington party
- 2 Statue of Philip Noel-Baker replaced in Islington after 35 years
- 3 Meet the owner of the Camden Passage shop window where nothing is for sale
- 4 Elderly woman robbed of precious watch in daylight Finsbury Park incident
- 5 New pub opens in place of The Monarch in Chalk Farm Road
- 6 'We can do better': Islington Society calls for rethink on Barnard Park plans
- 7 What do smoking and People Friendly Streets have in common?
- 8 New Lidl to open in Finsbury Park's Arts Building next week
- 9 Two men jailed for life after double murder
- 10 Islington and Camden police chief to leave Met after 29 years
Vice-chairman Cllr Martin Klute said: “The scheme has come on tremendously. It now blends into the grain of the area.”
English Heritage opposed the new application because it argues the history should be protected and the scale of the redevelopment would still impact on the conservation area and the nearby Grade II listed Middlesex Session House.
Planning committee member Cllr George Allan said: “This application fails utterly to convince me. The building has just been lowered by about four metres and the colour of the bricks has changed.”
At the meeting Richard Hillebron, senior planning consultant of Derwent London, said: “The scheme been redesigned with care taking into account all the comments from the planning inspector.”
It will include a bar, restaurant and a cafe. Piercy Conner Architects and Designers drew it up.
