Chelsea Barracks proposals withdrawn

Qatari Diar has sensationally withdrawn its planning application for Chelsea Barracks.

Just one week before the scheme was set to be decided by Westminster City Council, the developer’s Project Blue consortium this morning announced plans to return to the drawing board.

The decision to drop the proposals will be seen as an enormous victory for Prince Charles, who is understood to have been opposed to the modernist designs drawn up by Lord Rogers’ firm.

Although the statement does not mention architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners by name, it said the developer will be seeking architects to design a new masterplan and new buildings for the site.

The developers hope to have a new masterplan ready to go to outline planning by the end of 2009, with subsequent development carried out on a “phased basis with separate architectural practices competing for each phase”.

The statement adds: “Variety in the architecture will be integrated with social amenities and landscaping to create a harmonious and distinguished community.”

The developers said they were “already in discussion with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment” to find the “right solution” for the scheme.

A statement said: “Project Blue (Guernsey) Limited, the owner and developer of the Chelsea Barracks site, announced today that, after extensive and ongoing consultations with the stakeholders, it has withdrawn its current planning application for the site. PBGL also confirmed it will be conducting a comprehensive review of its plans and will be working very closely on this with Westminster City Council.”