Verulam Gardens 70 Gray's Inn Road London WC1X 8NH Data via plota.co.uk

2020/5980/P - Full Planning Permission Withdrawn
Change of useSchools, care & communityCommercial premises

Proposal

Change of use of the lower ground, ground, first and second floors from Class B1a (office) to flexible use as Class F1(a) (education) and Class E(g)(i) (office) and installation of a door on the Portpool Lane elevation. Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
24 Feb 2021
−
Withdrawn
around 16 Apr 2026

Withdrawn around 16 Apr 2026 · Withdrawn-Council · Last checked 29 Sept 2026

Documents

View the documents on the council's website ↗

Site constraints 13

Hatton Garden conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Council document ↗
2 Article 4 directions
Basements · Commercial, Business, and Service (Use Class E) to residential (Use Class C3) (in CAZ). Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Archaeological priority area
An assessment or field evaluation may be asked for before ground works.
The council or Historic England considers archaeology likely here. A desk-based assessment, and sometimes trial trenching, can be asked for with the application.
Air quality management area: Camden AQMA
The council has declared the area as failing an air quality objective.
Schemes that add traffic, parking or combustion plant are assessed against the area's action plan and may need an air quality assessment.
Council record ↗
Registered park or garden about 25 m away: Gray's Inn
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Registered parks and gardens, battlefields, world heritage sites and protected wrecks are designated heritage assets: harm needs clear and convincing justification.
Historic England ↗
14 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Boundary Wall and Gateway With Spur Stones East of Verulam Buildings, Grade II, about 24 m from the postcode pin · 2 Grade II*, 12 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 14 with distances
Historic England ↗
Central activities zone
The core of central London in the London Plan.
Offices, culture and the other strategic functions of the centre take priority over new housing here.
National infrastructure project about 779 m away: Thames Tideway Tunnel
The site is about 779 m from the project boundary. Waste water treatment, decided. The project page says whether consent was granted. Also within 2 km: London Strategic Heat Main Project (at pre-application, about 1250 m).
Nationally significant infrastructure projects (power stations, electricity lines, pipelines, major roads and railways, harbours, airports and reservoirs) are consented by a Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008, after an examination by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the council. The boundary is the one the Inspectorate consults on and can change as the scheme does. Projects are shown within 2 km of the site.
Planning Inspectorate project page ↗
Also on the record
Wider setting of protected view 4A.1 Primrose Hill summit to St Paul's Cathedral; 6A.1 Blackheath Point to St Paul's Cathedral; Inside the Camden built-up area; Public transport access: PTAL 6b (excellent), TfL 2023, for the 100 m square; Priority habitat about 46 m away: Deciduous woodland; Designated open space about 46 m away.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 2 November 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate, Transport for London (public transport access levels, Powered by TfL Open Data, OGL v3.0, contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Camden
Application type
Full Planning Permission
Postcode
WC1X 8NH
Validated
24 Feb 2021
Ward
Holborn & Covent Garden (Pre May 2022)
Case officer
Show
Decision
Withdrawn Decision
Decision date
around 16 Apr 2026
Decision level
Withdrawn-Council
Applicant
Show
Agent
Rolfe Judd Planning
Leaseholder
Show

Historical activity at this location

27 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2019 Withdrawn
The change of use of lower ground to fourth floor from Class B1a (office) to part Class B…
2019/5592/P
2019 Approved
External elevational alterations to the property at ground and first floor levels to faci…
2019/1153/P
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2023 Approved
Flat 9, Redman House, Portpool Lane London EC1N 7UA
Internal alterations with the removal of internal wall at first floor.
2023/4462/L
2024
Flat 3rd Floor North 3 Verulam Buildings London WC1R 5LQ
Change of use from C3 Dwellinghouse, to E(g)(i) Office.
2024/4683/P
2024 Refused
Pavement outside 133 Clerkenwell Road London EC1R 5DB
Installation of a Pulse Smart Hub with integrated digital screens and emergency functiona…
2024/3310/P
2024 Refused
Pavement outside 133 Clerkenwell Road London EC1R 5DB
Display of illuminated content on digital screens integrated within new communication Hub.
2024/3446/A
2024 Approved
Flat 44 Redman House Portpool Lane London Camden EC1N 7UB
Retrospective consent sought to remove an installed partition wall and reinstate the prim…
2024/3317/L
2024 Withdrawn
Verulam Gardens 70 Gray's Inn Road London Camden WC1X 8NH
Change of use of the third to fifth floors of 70 Gray's Inn Road from office (Class E) to…
2023/4871/P
2023 Approved
88 &100 Gray's Inn Road 127 Clerkenwell Road London
Details of cross-laminated timber suitability required by condition 36 of planning permis…
2023/5469/P
2023 Approved
88 & 100 Gray's Inn Road 127 Clerkenwell Road London WC1X 8AL
Details of a basement works monitoring required by condition 21 of planning permission 20…
2023/5467/P
2024 Approved
Gray's Inn Gardens Gray's Inn London WC1R
IN GARDENS (SEE PLAN): 2 x rows of Northern Red Oaks (T13 - T67) - Crown lift all low han…
2024/0454/T
2022 Approved
100 & 88 Gray's Inn Road and 127 Clerkenwell Road London WC1X 8AL
Demolition of 100 Gray's Inn Road and 127 Clerkenwell Road and the erection of a mixed-us…
2022/4259/P
2023 Approved
Gray's Inn Gardens Gray's Inn London WC1R
IN GARDENS: Works to 2 x Chinese Privets, 1 x Scarlet Maple, 2 x False Acacia, 1 x Honey…
2023/3888/T
2023 Approved
1-5 Offices And Premises At Ground Floor Portpool Lane London EC1N 7UU
Installation of 6 x air conditioning units at the western elevation
2023/2885/P
2023 Withdrawn
Shene House, Flat 10 Portpool Lane London Camden EC1N 7UE
Internal alterations to lobby area.
2023/2740/INVALID
2022 Approved
1-5 Offices And Premises At Lower Ground Floor Portpool Lane London Camden EC1N 7UU
Use of Lower ground floor and Ground floor as a Medical Centre - (Class E)
2022/4546/P
2022 Withdrawn
88 & 100 Gray’s Inn Road and 127 Clerkenwell Road, London WC1X 8AL
Demolition of 100 Gray’s Inn Road and 127 Clerkenwell Road and the erection of a mixed-us…
2022/5071/NEW
2022 Approved
2-4 Verulam Buildings London Camden WC1R 5NT
Internal works to the reception and waiting room areas on the ground floor of No 3 Verula…
2022/2929/L
2021 Refused
60 Grays Inn Road Holborn London WC1X 8AQ
Installation of 6 antenna apertures on supporting steelwork at roof level with ancillary…
2021/5460/P
2021 Approved
90-92 90 Grays Inn Road Ground Floor Shop WC1X 8AD
Alteration to shopfront at no.90 from a fixed panel glass to 4 bifold doors
2021/3728/P
2021 Approved
Tossed 131 Clerkenwell Road London EC1R 5DB
8 Tables, 16 Chairs and 6 Barriers Monday to Friday 09:00-20:00 New Application
2021/4086/PVL
2020 Approved
Site in front of; 10 Gray's Inn Square, London. WC1R 5JP.
Display of new double sided digital screen at relocated bus shelter.
2020/5483/A
2016 Withdrawn
Redman House Portpool Lane London EC1N 7UD
The replacement of existing single glazed timber sash and timber casement windows with ne…
2016/6478/INVALID
2016 Withdrawn
Redman House Portpool Lane London EC1N 7UD
The replacement of existing single glazed timber sash and timber casement windows with ne…
2016/6874/NEW
2016 Approved
1-5 Portpool Lane London EC1N 7UU
Installation of roller grille at main entrance.
2016/4521/P
2016 Approved
108 Gray's Inn Road London WC1X 8AJ
Display of internally illuminated ATM surrounds
2016/2492/A
2016 Approved
100 Holborn Hall Gray's Inn Road London WC1X 8AL
Installation of louvre panel to replace 1no. existing window to rear elevation at 5th flo…
2016/1632/P
Camden
Planning Authority Score
3.1/10
Poor
#231 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Camden is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #242 out of 296. Householder applications are slightly less likely to be approved here (88%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Camden decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
88%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #149 of 296
88%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #215 of 296
49%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #242 of 296
41%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #158 of 296
90%
Minor dwellings approved
467 decided (1-9 homes)
80%
Major dwellings approved
10 decided (10+ homes)
93%
Change of use approved
46 decided
1,973
Total decisions
234 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings

Leaseholders: Information produced by HM Land Registry. © Crown copyright 2026. Source: HM Land Registry, UK and overseas companies that own property in England and Wales, September 2026 release.