Although Kensington and Chelsea council have twice rejected their application to redevelop the King’s Road premises, the landlords have once again applied for ‘Listed Buildings Consent’ in order to remove the dealers’ individual units and convert the area into a single space.
The application confirms that the owners of Antiquarius, the retail property investment company London & Associated Properties (LAP), have agreed to lease the whole building to the clothing chain Anthropologie who intend to create a “flagship store and its UK headquarters”.
LAP have also made a separate application for permission to renovate the roof of the Grade II listed building.
As reported in ATG three weeks ago, LAP’s lobbying and PR consultants have had meetings with the council, the residents’ association and local trade groups, and they are now confident of getting their application approved.
Their application says they have carried out a comprehensive review which highlighted the physical deficiencies of the building and the decline in demand for antiques stalls.
“The buildings are overdue for their 100 year service,” it reads.
However, supporters of the dealers say that the loss of Antiquarius as an antiques centre will be a tragedy for the traders themselves and also for the local area which will lose an important part of its heritage and unique character.
They are encouraging people to oppose the landlord’s plans by expressing their views in the public consultation which ends on March 6. This can be done through the ‘Current Applications’ section of the council’s website at www.rbkc.gov.uk/planning
The three relevant planning case numbers are: PP/09/00198, LB/09/00199 and CL/09/00189.
• LAP also purchased the former Chenil Gallery on the King’s Road and The Mall antiques centre in Camden Passage in the same deal as Antiquarius. Both currently stand empty after LAP were forced to withdraw an application to demolish the historic Chenil building and replace it with 13 luxury flats, while their application to redevelop The Mall so that it can become a branch of the Jack Wills chain is currently at the appeal stage.
LAP are also facing opposition in South London against their plans to redevelop Brixton Market’s Granville Arcade and rebuild it with fewer shops and a ten-storey tower block on top. The campaign group Friends of Brixton Market has voiced strong resentment to LAP’s proposals and tactics.
By Alex Capon
