The Communities Secretary has rejected plans for a 235,000 sq ft office and retail development at London’s Smithfield Market. The surprise decision came today from Eric Pickles who accused the owners of deliberately neglecting the building which has been described as one of the finest nineteenth-century market halls in Europe.
The plans, from Henderson Global Investors, would have seen much of the interior of the property gutted with only the facades surviving. The development had faced strong opposition from heritage groups including the Victorian Society which has declared that it is “delighted” by the decision.
In his ruling Pickles said that the proposal was “wholly unacceptable” and would have an “extremely harmful effect” on the buildings which are already in a deteriorated state due the “deliberate neglect” of the owners, the City of London Corporation.
“(The proposal) runs entirely counter to national and policy objectives intended to protect such assets from harm,” he added.
Responding to the decision, the Victorian Society said; “Buildings like Smithfield General Market are what make the City such a special place. We hope this decision will cause developers and the City of London to reappraise the importance of the City’s heritage and ensure that future schemes put buildings like these at the centre of their plans.”
The society is now calling for the corporation and the developer to work together to come up with a conservation-led alternative which will ensure the property is brought back into use while respecting its historic fabric.
