Green light for £120m Barkers of Kensington overhaul

Planning permission has been granted for a £120m redevelopment and retrofit of a Grade-II listed art deco department-store building in west London.

Kensington and Chelsea council approved the plans for the Barkers of Kensington building, drawn up by Emrys Architects on behalf of Resla Properties.

Emrys said the designs will enlarge the eight-storey building’s entrance space on Derry Street, which is currently “dark, enclosed and dated”, while retaining its “spacious and light-filled” central atrium.

The plans will add a new “grand staircase” and escalators with art deco-inspired finishes, as well as new suspended walkways and a bridge to improve circulation in the upper levels.

A café and casual seating as well as new lifts, staircases and balconies are intended to “bring the impressive atrium to life”.

The basement of the 53,000 square metre venue will be remodelled as a flexible space for uses such as networking, talks and hospitality, while its “iconic” roof lanterns will be repurposed as private dining spaces.

The building’s original construction was completed in the 1950s after being interrupted by the Second World War.

Following a refurbishment in the 1980s, it was used mainly as offices, with newspapers including the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard on the upper floors and shops on the lower floors.

But Emrys said that the venue currently provides “neither quality commercial accommodation nor effective retail floor space”.

It said its plans will “revive the building as a prime commercial location while respecting its strong character and heritage”.

Emrys director Glyn Emrys said it was a “huge privilege and responsibility” to repurpose the building for 21st-century use.

“We have sought to retain and enhance the existing building as much as possible, working with it to create flexible new spaces with a clear focus on character, sustainability and wellbeing,” he added.