Aitch Group and privately owned property investment and development company VFund have secured planning approval and Listed Building consent from Hackney Borough Council for their new 25,049ft² unique, two-building, work campus with a GDV in the region of €41.8m (£35m), on Leonard Street, Shoreditch. The development will see the Grade I Listed St Michael & All Angels Church restored and transformed into the site comprised of two adjoining buildings soon to be marketed as Vetus + Novum, while retaining its original architecture and status as one of only six remaining Grade I listed buildings in the borough.
Vetus + Novum will be divided into two distinct buildings featuring the 9,849ft² Vetus building comprised of the re-purposed church, and the 15,200ft² adjoining Novum building which will be a state-of-the-art new build. The proposals designed by Trehearne Architects centre around the revealing of the vast volume of the church’s nave by removing various temporary structures inserted previously to breathe life back into the building and give it a viable commercial future. Novum will be built on the adjoining yard fronting onto Leonard Street to contextually repair the ‘gap tooth’ in the streetscape. Work on Vetus is expected to take 12 months and work on Novum is expected to take 18 months.
While Vetus will retain its original exterior architecture and feature stain-glass windows, Novum will appear more contemporary with floor to ceiling glazing and an impressive outlook whilst still complimenting the former church with red brick walls externally and internally having similarly exposed services, concrete columns and ceilings. Vetus will feature a ground floor and newly created partial mezzanine floor with a total 21m floor to ceiling height. Novum will span a lower ground to fourth floor with lift access to each level and 3m floor to ceiling heights but will remain lower than Vetus so as not to draw attention away from the beautiful spire of the old church building.
The current plans lay out the campus into zoned meeting rooms and areas for working in large groups across many desks along with more relaxed areas for casual meetings or socialising. There are also separate kitchen and dining areas. The campus also benefits from a reception area, WC and shower facilities, cycle storage and 24/7 access.
The Vetus + Novum site is ideally located just a 5 minute walk from the new entrance to Old Street Station along with Bishopsgate just an 8 minute walk away with connections to The City and London Liverpool Street Station.
Adam Shafron, Director at VFund said: “We are thrilled to have been granted planning permission for Vetus + Novum which will see the unification and artful re-purposing of the St Michael & All Angels Church building and our proposed contemporary state of the art office building. Our joint-partnership with Aitch Group on this project will see life brought back to the rare Grade I listed building which will make the perfect hub within the centre of London’s creative quarter.”
Piers Cook, Assistant Head of Asset and Property Management at Aitch Group commented: “Working with VFund, we have created a unique development that not only complements the existing building but also the surrounding creative district. We are delighted to have been supported by Hackney Borough Council to begin the realisation of our plans. The campus will provide a truly exceptional workspace for any future tenant - Vetus + Novum will be an office space like no other."
