Former Steels Lane Health Centre

Firstplan successfully achieved Planning and Listed Building Consent for the redevelopment of the former Steels Lane Health Centre, parts of which are Grade II Listed, to deliver a 101-bed boutique hotel. The prominent site fronts Commercial Road in Tower Hamlets and comprises various buildings which originally would have been three separate town houses, a former Church Training College, Chapel and mews buildings which sit around a small courtyard.

Steels Lane Health Centre was previously an NHS facility which provided various healthcare services, training and nurses accommodation. However, given the age of the buildings and accessibility issues the site became surplus to all NHS requirements and available for redevelopment.

Firstplan have been involved from project inception, with our role including leading comprehensive pre-application discussions with Tower Hamlets planning and conversation officers followed by preparing and managing a Full Planning and Listed Building Consent Application seeking permission for the change of use, extension and internal alterations to the existing building to revitalise the vacant site.

Key to the process was the conservation led design approach which proposed the reinstatement of the plan form of the terrace houses, the removal of the central corridor at all levels and the party walls re-established. Firstplan led negotiations with the planning, conservation and highways officers to ensure the scheme sensitively redeveloped the buildings whilst also securing the necessary consents to allow a modern hotel business to operate from the site.