Squires bags planning for redrawn Islington scheme

Squire & Partners has won planning permission for its proposals to demolish a three-storey industrial building in north London and replace it with a modern five-storey office block.

Its plans for Brewery Road in Islington follow the earlier dismissal at appeal of mixed-use proposals for the predominantly industrial site.

The scheme, consented by Islington council this month, was designed for Atlas Property and will deliver a total of 1,745 sq m of office and light industrial floorspace. The current building provides just under 800 sq m of commercial space.

Squires said its design drew inspiration from the historical context of nearby King’s Cross, which is located around one mile to the south of the site.

Islington council last year refused an earlier Squires scheme for the site that would have delivered nine apartments and 320 sq m of commercial space over five storeys.

The authority said the applicants had not evidenced any local lack of demand for commercial floorspace in the area, which is designated as a “locally significant industrial site” and said no exceptional circumstances existed to justify the loss of business space.

Islington’s decision was upheld at appeal earlier this year.