Early 19th century labyrinth of tunnels in Islington was part of the adjacent Whitbread Brewery building
Apt has been given the green light for an office scheme which includes the conversion of a labyrinth of grade II-listed Georgian vaults into cycle storage and office space.
Islington council voted unanimously to approve the City fringe scheme, located on Lamb’s Passage and designed for Lamb’s Passage Real Estate Limited.
It will consist of a seven-storey block built on the site of an existing carpark and above the underground vaults, which were built by the Whitbread brewery in the early 19th century. Another series of vaults clad in white ceramic tiles was added in the 1930s.
Whitbread, the owner of hotel chain Premier Inn, was originally founded as a brewery in Islington in 1742 and became the world’s largest brewery by the end of the century.
The vaults are connected to the grade II-listed Whitbread Brewery building which is located immediately to the south of the site.
Apt said the scheme would preserve the integrity of the vaults and retain as much historic fabric as possible, although around 260sq m of the area will be demolished to make way for stairs and a lift core providing access to the building above. The arched roofs will also be exposed at ground level behind glazing to allow public viewing.
Islington’s planning officer said the works would cause less than substantial harm to the vaults, which are currently in a state of disrepair, and that there is a public benefit to providing maintenance and a use for them.
Later additions, including enclosures built in the 20th century which were deemed to have no heritage value, would also be removed.
Two previous schemes at the site had been refused, including a hotel and residential scheme designed by Falconer Chester Hall and Collado Collins which was thrown out in 2014 and again in 2015 after a failed appeal.
The two practices then went back to the drawing board and produced revised plans, which were again refused in 2016 before winning an appeal in 2017, although the scheme was never built.
Other firms working on the Apt project are planning consultant Daniel Rinsler & Co, landscape architect LDA Design, daylight consultant GIA and fire engineer Atelier Ten.
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