Commonwealth decision delayed

3 July, 2009

The local authority had been due to decide on the scheme — developed by Chelsfield Partners and intended as a new home for the Design Museum — next week.

But agenda papers reveal that planning officers believe the complexity of the project is such that councillors should first give a “steer” on how to proceed with the application.

This approach was adopted by Westminster Council over Chelsea Barracks but has never before been used by Kensington & Chelsea.

The council’s head of planning David Prout said that English Heritage’s failure to fully respond to the application within 13 weeks as expected had influenced the latest move.

“EH should be able to issue its views in a 13-week period,” he said. “We did ask them to bring their [London advisory committee] meeting forward, but they were not able to do so.”

The proposals have been strongly opposed by local groups and heritage organisations including the Twentieth Century Society but have won broad support from Cabe, despite the design watchdog’s reservations about the proposed site layout.

An EH spokeswoman said the significance of the scheme meant it had to be considered by its advisory committee, which meets later this month. “K & C have been made aware of the timetable for our response,” she added. “It should come as no surprise.”

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