Westminster City Council has resolved to grant planning consent for Grosvenor Britain & Ireland (‘Grosvenor’) to complete a £5m repair and restoration of the former St Mark’s Church in North Audley Street, Mayfair. The building will provide a meeting space for the community as well as 14,500 sq ft of shops and restaurants.
The approval follows Grosvenor’s consultation with the local community, Westminster City Council, Historic England, The Diocese of London and Victorian Society, all of which reviewed the designs drawn up by conservation architects Donald Insall Associates. Grosvenor will retain or reinstate the building’s heritage features and install an impressive glass staircase, providing access to the first floor gallery.
Craig McWilliam, Executive Director, London Estate at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Grosvenor to use its experience in restoring architecturally and historically interesting buildings to open up a new place for the public – and right in the heart of London’s West End.”
Ahead of the redevelopment, Grosvenor will host community events in the building, including screening films such as The Graduate, Moulin Rouge and Purple Rain as part of the Grosvenor Film Festival, 1-5 June.
The former St Mark’s Church opened in 1828 and was designed in the Greek revival style by John Peter Gandy-Deering. It was declared redundant and deconsecrated by the Church of England in 1974. Since 2009 it has been used as a private events space known as One Mayfair and is in need of substantial repair to secure its long term future. Grosvenor acquired the building in 2014. It aims to commence restoration works in late Summer 2016 and to open the doors to the public in late 2017.
The investment in St Mark’s is part of Grosvenor’s long-term transformation of North Mayfair. Recent improvements include converting a Grade II-listed carpark into the Beaumont hotel, run by pre-eminent London restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. At the rear of St Mark’s, Grosvenor turned the roof above an electricity substation into the award-winning Brown Hart Gardens, a raised 10,000 square feet piazza with a water feature and 50-seater café.