Plans by the New College of the Humanities to move into a building at Fitzroy Square have been dropped, according to documents submitted to Camden Council with new plans for an educational institution on the site.
NCH had intended to refurbish the 2,132 square metre Boston House at 36-38 Fitzroy Square for a new headquarters for the college. An application (2019/3961/P) was first made in 2019 but was later withdrawn after it received a large number of objections from neighbours, and Camden’s planners raised concerns about the loss of office space.
A second nearly identical application was then submitted in 2020 using a “land use swap” to offset the loss of office space by submitting a simultaneous application to change the use from education to office of approximately 700 square metres of County House, which is to the rear in Conway Mews.
The current application is speculative and only concerns the change of use at Boston House.
“NCH have withdrawn their interest in the site,” states a new application registered this month. “Currently, this application is now submitted with no assigned future occupier.” The “land use swap” proposal with Conway House has also been abandoned.
A planning statement has been submitted arguing the case for a change of use from office to education use — essentially the same as the original application made in 2019 but with updated information.
“The application has been amended to address the concerns of the planning officer surrounding the loss of office space through the provision of detailed marketing evidence along with stronger evidence of the building’s unsuitability for its current use,” states the application.
The application does not state who the application is made on behalf of. The planning consultant making the application is Stuart Minty, a former head of development management at Camden Council.
Planning application: 2020/2226/P, Boston House 36-38 Fitzroy Square London W1T 6EY.