Property developer Rockwell has announced that its plans for the redevelopment of the Kensington Forum hotel have been approved by London’s Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills Jules Pipe.
The 906-room property on Cromwell Road close to Gloucester Road Underground Station currently trades as a Holiday Inn, and is the brand’s largest hotel in Europe.
Rockwell said that the redevelopment would provide “a world-class hotel and serviced apartment scheme alongside 62 genuinely affordable homes and substantial public realm improvements”.
It’s not clear at this stage what brands the hotel and serviced apartments will be marketed under.
In a statement Rockwell said:
“Designed by world-renowned architects, SimpsonHaugh, the new scheme will replace the existing 906 room hotel with an exceptional high-quality development providing outstanding visitor accommodation for the future including restaurants, bars, health spa and conference facilities, vital to supporting London’s continued role as a world city and major global destination.
“Alongside the hotel will be a new, publicly accessible and sensitively designed 2,700sqm garden square, more than doubling the size of the existing green space, which will be the only publicly accessible green area within 1km of the site.
“Despite the hospitality sector facing unprecedented challenges, this ambitious £1bn scheme, which is set to become one of London’s largest hotels, is perfectly placed to come forward as part of the capital’s recovery and is testament to the powerful role the sector is envisaged to play.”
Business Traveller last reviewed the Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum almost a decade ago, at which time it was the largest Holiday Inn property in the world.
