167 - 169 Great Portland Street London W1W 5PA Data via plota.co.uk

25/07527/FULL - Full Planning Permission Application Approved

Proposal

External works comprising alterations to ground floor entrance and shopfront including installation of electrical substation at ground floor level; installation of plant equipment at roof level. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
17 Oct 2025
✓
Consultation
29 Oct 2025
✓
Approved
19 Feb 2026

Approved on 19 Feb 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Documents 32

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 11

Harley Street 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
Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights Removed · Article 4 Direction Class E To C3 In Central Activities Zone. Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.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.
Protected view corridor: 4A.2 Primrose Hill summit to the Palace of Westminster
Inside the landmark viewing corridor of a protected vista. A building that rises above the corridor's threshold height should be refused. How high that is depends on where along the view the site is.
The London Plan (policy HC4) designates strategic views, and the Mayor's London View Management Framework (March 2012) gives 13 of them a protected vista toward St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster or the Tower of London. A vista has a threshold height that rises or falls with the line of sight. In the landmark viewing corridor, a building above it would harm the view and should be refused. In the wider setting consultation area around the corridor, a building above it is referred for consultation and its effect on the view is judged. The threshold changes along each view and is set out in the framework. A revised framework is out for consultation until 4 December 2026 and is not yet in force.
London View Management Framework ↗
Air quality management area: Westminster 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 ↗
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.
Also on the record
8 listed buildings within 150 m; Scheduled monument 233 m away: A subterranean commercial ice-well (City of Westminster), Park Crescent West, W1; Registered park or garden 213 m away: Regent's Park; National infrastructure project 1924 m away: Thames Tideway Tunnel; Inside the City of Westminster built-up area; Public transport access: PTAL 6b (excellent), TfL 2023, for the 100 m square.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 2 November 2026. 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

Application type
Full Planning Permission Application
Postcode
W1W 5PF
Received
17 Oct 2025
Validated
17 Oct 2025
Ward
West End
Case officer
Show
Target decision
20 Feb 2026
Decision
Application Permitted
Decision date
19 Feb 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Agent
Savills (UK) Limited

How this decision compares

Decided in 125 days from validation, 49 days slower than Westminster's median of 76 for full applications. Approved, as 86% of full applications here are.

35%decided within 8 weeks
86%approved
2,198decided in the last year

Plota live figures for full applications decided by Westminster in the last twelve months, from validation. Westminster decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

41 neighbours consulted · Last counted 16 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14415108
Planning Portal ref
PP-14415108
Comments by
26 Nov 2025
Site or press notice
29 Oct 2025
Env. assessment
No
Westminster
Planning Authority Score
3.5/10
Below average
#221 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Westminster is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #258 out of 296. Only 28% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Westminster is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 81% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 81% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Westminster decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
86%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #201 of 296
81%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #277 of 296
44%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #258 of 296
28%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #46 of 296
83%
Minor dwellings approved
12 decided (1-9 homes)
67%
Major dwellings approved
3 decided (10+ homes)
81%
Change of use approved
133 decided
4,602
Total decisions
648 refused in the year to March 2026