The Society has been involved, along with Tite Street residents and the Cheyne Walk Trust, in a series of consultation meetings with London Square, a Middle East owned development company, about their proposals for the demolition and re-development of the former St Wilfrid’s Care Home. Our concerns have focussed on both the use and the design of the new building. Above left is a computer-generated image of what the proposed building would look like, and above right are the existing buildings.
The developers have now (Oct 2025) submitted their planning application for the demolition of the St Wilfrid’s Care Home and Convent in Tite Street and for the construction there of a block of luxury flats. Their final plans show little change from the previous version which we saw and do not, in our view, pay sufficient attention to the pre-planning advice which they have received from Council officers. They are not, for example, proposing to include any element of care provision or other community use in their scheme nor are they offering any on-site affordable housing. These were all issues highlighted by Council officers in their previous consultations with London Square and it is disappointing that they have been ignored. While we support the provision of extra exhibition space for the National Army Museum which London Square are proposing to build, we do not think that this should involve the sacrifice of other local community facilities.
The building’s design also fails to reflect Council officers’ advice. It is higher than would normally be permitted in an area of this kind and it envisages the retention of only part of the vitally important garden and townscape gaps. Tite Street is one of the most iconic streets in Chelsea with a rich artistic and historical heritage. We hope therefore that in assessing this application RBKC will be scrupulous in applying its own policies and will demand the necessary changes to it.
If members of the Society want to comment on the application a link is available on the RBKC planning website under reference PP/25/04989. The website of the Tite Steet Association (https://friendsoftitestreet.
