We are pleased that the City of London granted permission for our proposals in November 2021.

You can view more detail of the approved scheme by using the arrows at the bottom of the page. Please note, aspects of the proposals are subject to change through detailed design.

The site at 120 Fleet Street is made up of two existing buildings – the Daily Express Building and River Court. Within our proposals, the Grade II* listed Daily Express Building will be retained and restored for commercial and cultural uses while the River Court building will be redeveloped to provide new world class commercial workplace.

Key facts about our proposals:

The iconic Grade II* listed Art Deco building on Fleet Street was originally built in 1932 as the headquarters of the Daily Express. It was designed by Sir Owen Williams together with Ellis and Clark. The exterior features a black façade with rounded corners in vitrolite and clear glass, with chromium strips. The building is one of London’s first glass curtain-wall constructions and is widely considered one of the best examples of Streamline Moderne architecture in the capital.

The flamboyant Art Deco lobby of the Daily Express Building was designed by Robert Atkinson, with two impressive and ornate plaster reliefs entitled 'Britain' and 'Empire' by British sculptor Eric Aumonier.

Our top priority for the Daily Express Building is to provide public access to this iconic building, which is currently closed off to the public. Cultural tenants would have sympathetic programming that invites the public into the building. The frontage will showcase local cultural offerings on a rotating basis.

The restored building will present an opportunity to provide spaces for exhibitions and complementary uses that celebrate the building’s legacy to the Daily Express and Fleet Street’s rich heritage of writers, publishing, print and communication.

Our plans will also include the complete redevelopment of the existing River Court building. The proposed building will provide c.50,550 sqm office space and c.1,700 sqm retail space in a central London location.

The new building will step-up from Fleet Street towards the north where it will be Ground plus 20 storeys at its highest point. The stepping creates an opportunity for South facing landscaped terraces. Our design will carefully respond to the context of nearby buildings and environmental constraints. In particular, the horizontally-banded façade on Fleet Street will be sympathetic and make reference to the Daily Express building and its settings.

The existing River Court building is attached to the Daily Express Building. A key feature of the new building design is the separation from the Daily Express Building through the creation of a new publicly accessible open arcade. This will create new opportunities for active frontages and significantly improve the settings of the Grade II* listed Daily Express Building.

The new building will deliver high-quality, sustainable and future-proof workspace for a range of occupiers in the City of London. The modulation and stepped design of the building will include external terraces on the south side of the building and allow the workspaces to be naturally sun-lit and ventilated, enhancing the wellbeing of its future tenants.

Throughout the design process, we have identified potential locations for active frontage, retail, food and beverage uses around the perimeter and throughout the site. As compared to the existing building, the proposed building will improve the retail offer in the area for future occupiers and nearby residents.

Our proposals will deliver substantial improvements to the public spaces around and within River Court and the Daily Express building. A new publicly accessible open arcade will be created connecting Fleet Street and Shoe Lane. Together with the open arcade, the new active frontages of the building will enhance the pedestrian experience and permeability of the site.

The additional passageways and laneways through the site, seek to enhance Fleet Street’s heritage of being called a ‘Double Street,’ as it has always had vibrant, hidden side streets that have been havens of theatres, pubs and printing shops. It will be programmed with small-scale exhibitions or markets that are appropriate to city festivals and key celebrations.

The increased permeability through the site provides additional frontage for retail area that, in turn, activates the ground-floor and enhances the pedestrian experience, a catalyst for the revitalisation of the fleet street neighbourhood.

Environmental sustainability is a key consideration for our building design. A range of measures will be employed to ensure energy consumption is conserved and minimised. These measures include:

• Retaining two basement levels of the existing River Court building
• Stepped building design to maximise access to daylight and sunlight
• Introducing Mixed Mode Ventilation (a combination of air-conditioning and natural ventilation
• Consolidating servicing arrangements through the new tenancies to limit the number of servicing vehicles accessing the site
• Provision of cycle storage to encourage sustainable travel

Our proposals will introduce a significant amount of urban greening across the two buildings. Not only will this help improve biodiversity in this part of London, but it will also enhance the outlook for nearby residents and commercial neighbours.

This would be achieved by introducing greenery on the publicly accessible roof terrace of the Daily Express Building and on the stepped terraces of the new River Court building. In total, 1,950 sqm of planted external terraces will be included in our plans.

The wellbeing of future occupants is a key consideration throughout the design process and our goal is to create high-quality, sustainable and future-proof workspaces. To achieve this, we have explored different design options that maximise crucial wellbeing factors such as natural ventilation and access to green spaces. Some of the design features that support wellness in the work environment we are proposing include:

• Full height perimeter glazed façade maximizing daylight and offering panoramic views
• Excellent internal comfort design, double skin façade with openable windows and interstitial blinds for glare control
• Exterior landscaped terraces offering direct visual and physical access to outdoor amenity for tenants and providing a green skyline
• Access to state-of-the-art end of trip facilities to support active travelling to work for the workforce and visitors
• Public access to the Daily Express Building including a new publicly accessible roof terrace that complements a cultural offer as part of the proposal

Thank you for taking the time to look through our virtual public exhibition. In summary, our proposals for 120 Fleet Street will:

• Restore and refurbish the Grade II* listed Daily Express Building
• Provide public accessibility and opportunity for a new cultural space at the Daily Express Building
• Redevelop River Court to provide Ground plus 20 storeys stepped building for office and retail uses
• Redevelop River Court to provide office and retail uses in a stepped building, which is Ground plus 20 storeys at the northern end of the site
• Create new pedestrian routes, including a publicly accessible open arcade
• Improve public realm and maximise active frontages of the proposed buildings