Unanimous support from RBKC for Newcombe House, Notting Hill Gate

January 2024

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Squire & Partners has received a unanimous support from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to transform Newcombe House in Notting Hill Gate for Beltane Asset Management. The project, which marks the final piece in a 10-year reimagining of buildings on Notting Hill Gate by the practice, proposes a new office-led development comprising three distinct buildings and generous, accessible public realm. Designs retain, refurbish and extend the existing 1950s 12-storey structure, and introduce two new buildings on Kensington Church Street, resulting in the creation of a vibrant destination.

The redevelopment of the tower will upgrade the existing workspace through the extension of the floor plate, addition of two new floors and the introduction of balconies and a roof terrace. A six-storey building on Kensington Church Street will offer large retail space on the ground floor and additional workspace on the upper floors, with landscaped terraces on each level of the western elevation. The final eight-storey building will provide affordable housing and a medical centre, designed in collaboration with the NHS. A new landscaped square fronting Notting Hill Gate will establish an inviting and inclusive space.

Each of the three buildings possesses its own characteristics, which respond to the immediate context and wider conservation area. The tower design is influenced by the international style of Notting Hill and its distinctive 1950s architecture. Modernist elements such as the vertical expression, solid western elevation and geometric shapes are reinterpreted in a contemporary way to create a beautiful new façade that relates to the surrounding 1950s architecture, whilst delivering something new, forward thinking and distinctive.

The contrasting brick design of the two buildings on Kensington Church Street is inspired by neighbouring Victorian-era mansion blocks and Hillgate Village. Piers and modular panels create a sense of rhythm and movement, offering visual points of interest in the overall design. The rear elevation of the main building on Kensington Church Street is sculpted and set back at each floor, to provide an interesting and fractured back drop to Hillgate Village and landscaped terraces at each level.

Henry Squire, Partner at Squire & Partners:

“We are delighted to bring forward a vision that creates a new, extremely high-quality, distinctive campus of buildings and public realm that will complete the regeneration of Notting Hill Gate and be a very positive addition for years to come.”

Duncan Roe, Partner at Beltane Asset Management:

“Notting Hill Gate has amazing potential to create best-in-class office and retail accommodation right in the heart of a vibrant and well-connected district centre. Our ambition is to further strengthen and enhance Notting Hill Gate with a new commercial hub which will bring a range of local economic and social benefits.”