Hammersmith and Fulham has approved the redevelopment of Wendell Court, 16–20 Wendell Road, London W12 9RT, allowing the former Leiths School of Food and Wine cookery school to be converted into a residential scheme.
The proposal secures the change of use from Class F1 to Class C3 and includes partial demolition and redevelopment of the existing building to provide 9 new homes.
The site sits on the northern side of Wendell Road, west of Askew Road and north of Bassein Park Road. The existing building, a part 3, part 4-storey structure from the early 1990s, had long been occupied by Leiths as a bespoke teaching facility. The council noted that the premises were no longer suitable for the school’s needs, with limited and financially unviable options for expansion on site. The application therefore sought to bring the underused building back into active use through housing.
The approved scheme retains the principal front façade while altering the ground floor and central recessed upper elevations to support residential conversion. At the rear, significant rooftop plant will be removed and replaced by two new three-storey mews houses fronting Wendell Mews. The design uses brick and zinc cladding and is intended to reflect the scale and character of the surrounding mews context. Fenestration to the new rear homes is limited to reduce overlooking and protect neighbouring amenity.
The council considered the proposal acceptable in principle because it would increase the borough’s housing supply and deliver good-quality accommodation. It was also found to be visually acceptable, with a high standard of design and no harmful impact on nearby heritage assets. The application was assessed as consistent with relevant policies in the NPPF (2024), London Plan (2021), and Hammersmith and Fulham Local Plan (2018).
Other matters, including highways, transport, flood risk, air quality and land contamination, were considered satisfactorily addressed, subject to conditions and a legal agreement. The decision concluded that the development would not cause unacceptable impacts on neighbouring properties and would make a positive contribution to the local environment.
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