Date February 2021 180 Piccadilly and 48–50 Jermyn Street Statement of Community Involvement 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 3 2. Introduction 5 3. Why Consult 7 4. Overview of Methodology 8 5. Consultation Materials 11 6. Stakeholder Meetings 16 7. Consultation Feedback 20 8. Changes Made During Consultation 23 9. Conclusion 25 10. Appendices 26 2 www.commcommuk.com 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Statement of Community Involvement has been prepared on behalf of Pontsarn Investments Limited (the “Applicant”) as part of an application to Westminster City Council (“WCC or the “Council”) for detailed planning permission (the “Application”) for redevelopment of 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street, W1 (the “Site”). The proposed description of development is: Demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the Site to create a Class E use building, including basement plant and cycle parking facilities, installation of roof top plant and all other works incidental to the proposals’ (the “Proposed Development”). Pontsarn Investments Ltd is a wholly own subsidiary of Great Portland Estates Plc (GPE). GPE is a FTSE 250 property investment and development company owning £2.6 billion of real estate in central London. Its aim is to create in-demand spaces that people want to be part of, helping occupiers, local communities and the city to thrive. The engagement and consultation targeted WCC members and officers, community and amenity groups along with local residents and businesses in the surrounding area. The aim of the consultation was to increase awareness of the proposals, ensuring that the community understood what was being proposed and why. The project team were keen to provide opportunities for stakeholders to feed back on the emerging proposals, developing proposals influenced by the knowledge and views of key stakeholders. The consultation began in September 2020 when introductory emails and letters were issued to key stakeholders to outline the emerging proposals and consultation process. In light of COVID-19, the result of lockdown measures and following the Government’s advice and guidance, the method of consultation was adapted to ensure the proposals could still be shared with the local community and stakeholders as they developed. Virtual meetings took place with political and community stakeholders via Microsoft Teams/Zoom throughout the consultation period. On Friday 18 September 2020, a meeting took place with St James’s ward councillors to present the scheme and discuss the site context, proposals, design development and consultation process. Throughout the programme, the project team also met with St James’s Conservation Trust, The Westminster Society, Fortnum & Masons, The Royal Academy of Arts, Heart of London BID as well as the Chairman of the Planning Committee (WCC) to discuss the proposals in detail. Meetings and engagement will continue with interested stakeholders throughout the planning process and beyond. www.commcommuk.com 3 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street Throughout the pre-application process, the project team focussed on delivering consultation both through digital and traditional methods. On Wednesday 23 September 2020, a consultation website www.180piccadilly-consultation.co.uk was published. The website has acted as a hub of information and point of contact for members of the local community and will be updated throughout the development life-cycle. To date, there have been 431 unique visitors to the website, 971-page views and 35 individuals have signed up for email updates about the proposals (true as of Monday 11 January 2021). On Wednesday 23 September 2020, approximately 1,098 flyers were hand-delivered to the local community to introduce the proposals, sign-post the website and invite the local community to the forthcoming online public webinar. On Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 6:30pm, an online public webinar was held by members of the project team. The webinar was hosted by Comm Comm UK, GPE, Make Architects and DP9. The webinar included introductions to the project team, a presentation about the proposals for 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street, followed by a Q&A session. Representatives from The Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s and The Cavendish Hotel were in attendance. The recording of the webinar was also emailed to stakeholders and uploaded to the consultation website to view after the session. Throughout the consultation process, the consultation website, email address and freephone line have acted as key communication channels, which the community has used to submit feedback and queries on the proposals. The project team has reviewed all comments in detail. A contact log was established in order to track comments, issue responses and keep individuals updated on the proposals as they moved forward. On Tuesday 5 January 2021, an e-newsletter was sent to all contacts registered to the project updates list and the consultation website was updated. The updates included new CGIs of the proposed elevations and details of the refinements that have been made in response to the consultation and feedback received. The updates also advised of the project programme and next steps, including a submission target date. The consultation was successful in reaching out to stakeholders and the local community about the proposals. Comments and feedback received has led to a number of changes to the scheme, which are detailed on page 22 of this document. Following the submission of the application, the project team will continue to engage and update the local community. 4 www.commcommuk.com 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street 2 INTRODUCTION This Statement of Community Involvement has been prepared on behalf of Pontsarn Investments Limited (the “Applicant”) as part of an application to Westminster City Council (“WCC or the “Council”) for detailed planning permission (the “Application”) for redevelopment of 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street, W1 (the “Site”). The proposed description of development is: Demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the Site to create a Class E use building, including basement plant and cycle parking facilities, installation of roof top plant and all other works incidental to the proposals’ (the “Proposed Development”). The Site The site contains two buildings, 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street and is bound by Jermyn Street to the south, Duke Street St James’s to the east, and Piccadilly to the north. The Site area is 1212sqm. The existing buildings contain a mix of retail and office uses which fall under Use Class E. The buildings on the Site are not listed but are situated adjacent to the Grade II listed Piccadilly Arcade. They are also located within the St James’ Conservation Area. The Site forms the end of a block of buildings running eastward from St James’ Street to Duke Street St James’s. The Site has a PTAL rating of 6B (excellent), with Green Park and Piccadilly Circus stations both located in close proximity to the Site. There is no existing on-site car parking. The Proposed Development The proposals will demolish the existing buildings and redevelop the Site, to create Class E floorspace (herein known as the Proposed Development). The ground floor of the building will be occupied by two separate flexible retail/restaurant/café/gym units (herein known as the Flexible Commercial Units), facing Jermyn Street and Piccadilly respectively. A new prominent, office reception is proposed to be created on the corner of Duke Street St James’s and Jermyn Street. At basement level, the building will provide cycle parking and facilities for the occupiers of the building, together with plant and ancillary facilities. www.commcommuk.com 5 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street The Proposed Development incorporates a double mansard roof, with feature corner on Piccadilly and Duke Street St James’s. This will create an eastern ‘bookend’ for the block, mirroring the double mansard and higher stone level and cornice line of the westernmost building in the block. The Proposed Development will include a communal roof terrace, along with external terraces at fifth, sixth and seventh levels, which will serve as an amenity space for office workers. The Applicant and Engagement Strategy Pontsarn Investments Ltd is a wholly own subsidiary of GPE. GPE is a FTSE 250 property investment and development company owning £2.6 billion of real estate in central London. Its aim is to create in-demand spaces that people want to be part of, helping occupiers, local communities and the city to thrive. The project team has undertaken a programme of community involvement and consultation ahead of the submission of a planning application to WCC. The engagement ensured local stakeholders were well informed about the proposals and understood all aspects of the scheme. The programme ensured stakeholders had the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals and engage directly with the project team. The methodology was designed to be flexible to respond to the community’s feedback and interest in the development of the proposals. In light of COVID-19, the result of lockdown measures and following the Government’s advice and guidance, the method of consultation was adapted to ensure the proposals could still be shared with the local community and stakeholders as they developed. In place of traditional face-to-face events, a consultation website was published and an online public webinar was held via Zoom. Hard copies of the consultation materials were also available upon request. The team will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the planning process and beyond. 6 www.commcommuk.com 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street Proposed view along Jermyn Street 3 WHY CONSULT Comm Comm UK was instructed by Pontsarn Investments Ltd to support the delivery of the pre-application engagement for the proposals for 180 Piccadilly and 48-50 Jermyn Street.