McAslan tasked with working up new Smithfield plans

John McAslan & Partners has been asked to start work on a new proposal for Smithfield Market, Building’s sister title BD has learnt.

The new project will be retail-led rather than focusing on office space.

This is a response to communities secretary Eric Pickles who said in his written decision after February’s public inquiry that offices were not needed in that part of central London.

A rival, retail-heavy proposal was made at the inquiry by opponents including Cathedral Group and market entrepreneur Eric Reynolds.

It was the second time a planning application for the site was rejected at public inquiry. Pickles’ predecessor Hazel Blears threw out plans by KPF in 2008.

Henderson, which has a 999-year lease on the site, said after Pickles’ ruling in July that it had no plans to sell up, potentially condemning the crumbling Victorian buildings to an uncertain fate.

But BD has been told by a source that McAslan is drawing up a new scheme, although no decision on how to proceed has been made at this stage.

Save wrote to Pickles earlier this month asking him to launch CPO proceedings for Smithfield, but has not yet received a response.

Henderson declined to comment.