The meeting of Camden Council's Planning Committee on Thursday 20 March 2025 included two applications for decision. The report pack included arguments for and against each application, as well as the officer recommendation on each.

Euston Tower

The most significant item included for discussion was a proposal for the Euston Tower at 286 Euston Road, NW1. The proposal is to redevelop the 36-storey tower, retaining parts of the existing building, by constructing a new 32-storey building. It would include space for offices, research and development (including lab-enabled workspace), retail, cafés and restaurants, and learning and community space. The application was submitted by British Land Property Management Ltd and the agent was Newmark (formerly known as Gerald Eve). The proposal was accompanied by numerous supporting documents and drawings, as well as a full Environmental Statement.

The application proposed increasing the floorspace from 54,826sqm (GIA) to 79,825sqm (GIA). The report pack said that, in order to justify the increase in floorspace, the developer would pay £27m to provide affordable housing off-site. The proposed location for the affordable housing is on the Tybald's Estate, WC1. The Tybald's Estate was included in the Council’s Community Investment Programme.

The report pack noted that the Euston Tower has been granted a Certificate of Immunity from listing by Historic England. However, there are a number of listed buildings in the vicinity, including the Grade II listed BT Tower, the Grade I listed Holy Trinity Church, and the Grade I listed Regent's Park, as well as the Fitzroy Square Conservation Area and the Bloomsbury Conservation Area. The report considered the impact of the development on the setting of these heritage assets.

A number of issues were raised in the consultation on the application. The Royal Parks, Regent's Park CAAC, Friends of Regents Park and Primrose Hill and the Chester Terrace Residents Association all raised concerns regarding the potential impact of the development on views of Regent's Park. In addition, Climate Emergency Camden raised concerns about the sustainability of the proposal, given the demolition of a large amount of the existing building.

A draft Construction Management Plan was included in the report pack, but it was noted that in the absence of a principal contractor it lacked the necessary detail. TfL requested a financial contribution to its Euston Circus Healthy Streets scheme, land for a Cycle Hire station, and £200,000 towards the cost of installing the Cycle Hire station.

The final recommendation included in the report pack was to grant planning permission, subject to referral to the Mayor of London, completion of a Section 106 Legal Agreement and conditions.

5 Bacon's Lane

The report pack also included an application for the demolition of the existing dwelling at 5 Bacon's Lane, N6, and the erection of a replacement two-storey detached dwelling. The application was submitted by Mr Simon Fraser. The agent for the application was Lichfields.

The report pack noted that the house is located in the Highgate Conservation Area and that no. 6 Bacon's Lane is a Grade II listed building. The proposed new building would retain the footprint of the approved scheme from 2017 (2017/2646/P) and included new materials, including low-carbon brick, timber, and patinated metal.

The Highgate Conservation Area Advisory Committee objected to the proposal, saying that the new dwelling would be too bulky, harming the heritage of Highgate.

The final recommendation included in the report pack was to grant planning permission, subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 Agreement.