London, UK: A vacant former student building on Church Grove in Hampton Wick is set for a second life as a five-star Hotel Indigo, after Westcombe Group won planning approval to replace an earlier, wholly residential scheme with a mixed-use one.
The Kingston Bridge House scheme pairs a luxury boutique hotel, Hotel Indigo, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, with 22 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, four of them affordable. The hotel will include a bar, an upscale restaurant and conference spaces. It marks the Group's push into hospitality through its Acre Hotels collection.
The numbers are what make the case. An independent economic impact assessment estimates €23.4m of construction investment, around 50 jobs on site once complete and about 9,000 hotel visitors a year. It also projects roughly €5.0m of annual retail and leisure spending in the local economy and around €228,000 a year in Council Tax and business rates. Westcombe says the new scheme should deliver substantially greater employment, tourism and local economic benefits than the residential one it previously secured.
Kamal Pankhania, Chief Executive Officer of Westcombe Group, said: "This is a very exciting moment for Westcombe and for Hampton Wick as our proposals receive planning approval." He added: "IHG is one of the most respected names in global hospitality and we see this project as marking the start of a long and successful relationship between our two businesses, here in the UK and overseas."
Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development, Europe at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: "This signing reflects strong owner demand for Hotel Indigo in the UK&I and comes as we recently celebrated 200 open Hotel Indigo properties around the world." She also said: "Hampton Wick's rich history, riverside setting and strong local identity make it a natural fit for a brand that celebrates neighbourhood stories and authentic local experiences." Westcombe, a family-owned top 25 UK property and hospitality group, also works with Hilton and Accor.
What goes unsaid is how the project will be funded and whether Westcombe will hold or sell the hotel. For investors and developers, the swing from a consented residential scheme to a branded five-star hotel in suburban south-west London tests whether lifestyle hospitality can outbid pure residential where margins are squeezed. The affordable share, four of 22 homes (about 18%), will also be watched as a marker for how mixed-use schemes get through planning.
People mentioned
- Kamal Pankhania, Chief Executive Officer, Westcombe Group
- Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Companies mentioned
- Westcombe Group: developer of Kingston Bridge House; family-run, top 25 UK property and hospitality group
- Acre Hotels: Westcombe's hotel collection and vehicle for its hospitality expansion
- IHG Hotels & Resorts: global hospitality company and hotel partner
- Hotel Indigo: IHG brand that will operate the new five-star hotel
- Hilton: international hotel group Westcombe works with
- Accor: international hotel group Westcombe works with
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