Update – 24 April 2024

Planning application

  • The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of the Newcombe House site on 18th January 2024.
  • Given the scale and nature of the application, RBKC has to refer its intended approval to the Mayor of London who will decide whether he is content for the Council to implement its decision. The referral by the Council has been made and it is expected to be presented to the Mayor by the end of April.
  • Apart from the Mayor of London’s decision, a signed legal agreement (‘Section 106 Agreement’) is required to release the planning permission. This has been agreed in draft with the Council and forms part of the referral to the London Mayor.
  • In addition to having planning permission in place, certain pre-commencement conditions need to be satisfied before any work (demolition and construction) can start at the site. Work is underway to provide the necessary information on the pre-commencement conditions to the Council.
  • There is no clear timeline for the Mayoral decision, signing of the legal agreement and dealing with the pre-commencement conditions, but it is hoped that all will be concluded in the 2nd Quarter of 2024.
  • In advance of the receipt of planning permission and commencement of demolition and construction, some site management activities may take place which seek to ensure that the fabric of the existing buildings is maintained in a safe condition.

Future works at the site

A presentation was made at the Essex Church on 9.4.24 to representatives of key Resident Associations and local ward councillors about what could be expected once demolition and construction work commences at the site.

Those present asked for a summary of key points of the presentation and these are set out below.

Overview

  • JRL Group and their management arm Midgard City will be the company in charge of demolition and construction.
  • They are a highly experienced company used to working in sensitive locations.
  • Almost all the key works are carried out by Midgard City themselves rather than sub-contractors. This means that there is close and efficient management and a single point of contact.
  • Adam Wells will be the Project Director and the primary point of contact. His contact details will be clearly externally advertised at site and he will act on any issues raised by residents or local businesses. For the initial deconstruct phase Liam Boughton and Simon Lacey will be the management team based on site and your first point of contact. Their details will be included on the Midgard City first newsletter.
  • The programme for demolition and construction is not yet firmly established as it is dependent on dealing with some outstanding matters relating to the issuing of planning permission.
  • A rough guide to programme is set out below:
Overview (April 2024)

Site management

  • Midgard City will be fully signed up to the Considerate Constructors Scheme. The company has been given recent awards in Westminster for its considerate approach to demolition and construction. Adam Wells current project in the Barbican area has just secured a gold award.
  • Communication will be clear and regular. A monthly newsletter will be provided and meetings held with Resident Associations. Any complaints or issues will receive a response withing 24 hours of notification.
  • The site will be operated Monday to Friday from 0800 to 1800, with reduced impact hours of 1000 to 1200 and 1400 to 1600. No working will take place at weekends unless there are special circumstances such as the need to install plant/equipment when local roads are less busy.
  • Site operatives will not be permitted to loiter around the site or wear PPE outside of site. Arrivals will be staggered to avoid everyone arriving at once.
  • Special noise attenuation measures will be applied such as acoustic blankets to dampen the noise of plant/machinery.
  • As much of the development will be prefabricated off-site and delivered for assembly, dust generated by cutting will be minimised.
  • Lighting will be carefully managed and only necessary safety lights e.g. on cranes will be left on in darkness outside of working hours.
  • The site will have up to three cranes. These will be positioned so that they do not ‘over sail’ neighbouring residential properties.

Site access

  • The demolition (deconstruction) will begin first to prepare for future construction.
  • No vehicles will enter Hillgate Village. Personnel will be stationed at key entry points during operational times to manage and direct site traffic.
  • Special care will be taken in the management of site traffic in relation to the Fox Primary School and the nursery in Kensington Place.
  • On Kensington Church Street, scaffolding and hoarding will be erected and a ‘pit lane’ introduced on the street where vehicles will enter within a safe enclosed area.
  • Update since community meeting: A meeting took place with the Local Authority and TfL on Friday 19th April. Both authorities have agreed to a protected temporary pedestrian route within the highway for the duration of the project, immediately adjacent to the existing footpath on Kensington Church Street. This means that there will be no need to cross Kensington Church Street when travelling to or from Notting Hill Gate.
  • The route will be built to meet Health & Safety requirements and the loading/offloading Pit Lane will sit alongside this footpath. The bus lane and the bus stop to the northern end of Kensington Church Street (Bus Stop G) will remain open, adjacent to its current position. The south bus stop (Bus Stop F) is likely to close as the bus stop further south is considered sufficient by TfL.
  • Subject to planning approval, preparations are underway to erect a scaffold on the Kensington Church Street footpath to aid the de-construction works. As discussed at the community meeting this will mean localised footpath closures for between 6 and 15 days. During these closures access will be diverted into the highway with the north bus stop closing for 12 days (an alternative stop will be provided on Notting Hill Gate), and the south bus stop for 5 days. The decision to close the bus stops temporarily was made for road traffic safety reasons. Updated plans will be shared shortly.

The presentation made by Midgard City to the community meeting held on 9.4.24 can be downloaded on the dedicated project website www.newcombehouse.info.

You can contact us via email at contact@newcombehouse.info or call us on our freephone number 0800 246 5890.

Back to news