A third former landmark department store site on Oxford Street is to undergo a huge reinvention as new West End office, retail and cultural complex.
The huge island site at 33 Cavendish Square was home to the BHS department store from 1961 to 2016 when it collapsed into administration.
The 1950s designed podium and towers structure, which includes Oxford Street’s tallest building west of Oxford Circus, will be partially demolished with about 50% of the current floorspace retained.
Detailed plans were revealed at a public exhibition this week by UAE owned developers Berkeley Estate Asset Management (BEAM) and architects Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF).
Designs include around 75,000 sqm of office space with private terraces for tenants, 100 metres of store frontage replacing “existing outdated retail space” on Oxford Street, and a new 3,500 sqm cultural hub for Ted talks, product launches, receptions,, as well as workspace and studio space.
It is the third and last of a trio of buildings on the western end of Oxford Street that once housed landmark department stores to get a glow up.
The former Debenhams building at 334 Oxford Street is being turned in a new retail and office complex known as the M building. The former House of Fraser building at 318 Oxford Street will become another mixed use development known at The Elephant.
The project at 33 Cavendish Square will support around 1,200 jobs during construction and around 4,000 once completed and occupied. It is estimated that workers in the building will spend around £13 million a year locally.
The building was originally designed by TP Bennet in the late 1950s with a podium and three towers overlooking Cavendish Square gardens.
As well as BHS occupiers have included the UAL College of Fashion, which has now relocated to a new campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford..
The plans include the incorporation of the three towers to the west, north and east of the block fronting John Prince’s Street, while the podium, retail and vacant space on Oxford Street will be demolished and replaced with a new wrap around structure.
Portland and granite stone from the existing building will be reused in a new façade.
John Bushell, Principal at KPF said: “Our proposals for 33 Cavendish Square will help shape the future of Oxford Street, Westminster and wider London through a new landmark destination.
“By combining world-class office space and retail with a dedicated cultural and creative hub, our plans will breathe new life into the site, offering a vibrant destination for global brands, businesses, and culture.
It’s a bold step in reimagining this part of Oxford Street where culture, commerce, and community thrive together.”
The second round of public consultation on the proposals end on 21st July with a planning application expected to be submitted later this summer.
