Green light for major City of London office retrofit

The City of London Corporation has approved a major retrofit scheme at 65 Gresham Street, that will include a large area of public realm improvement and new retail outlets, alongside much needed, sustainable office space.

Proposals for the mixed-use scheme will see the site retain approximately 70% of the existing building’s structure. The works will include numerous and extensive landscaped terraces, improvements to access and travel through and around the site, as well as the introduction of new retail spaces along Aldermanbury.

The scheme’s approval builds upon a strong performance in 2023 by the City Corporation’s planning team, which has overseen year-on-year increases in planning applications received and decided, since 2020.

As footfall levels into the Square Mile continue to rise back to pre-pandemic levels, the new retail units and landscaping proposals around 65 Gresham Street will be within walking distance from Liverpool Street station, which recently became the busiest station in the UK.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transport Committee, Shravan Joshi, said: “The 65 Gresham Street proposals represent an exemplary retrofit scheme that will provide benefits for everyone. Future office tenants and their employees will enjoy a well-connected, high-quality office space, whilst local residents’ and visitors’ journeys through the Square Mile will be enhanced by the public realm improvements and new retail.”