The go-ahead has been given for the refurbishment of Northcliffe House, the former Fleet Street home to the offices and printing presses of the Daily Mail newspaper until the late 1980s – sitting within the Whitefriars Conservation Area as a Grade II listed building.

The intention is to create a flexible workplace which responds to the requirements of tenants once the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been contained. The design seeks to unify the various components of the office building at high level and create a more considered and coherent massing than currently exists. The proposed office additions at levels 5 and 6 are progressively set back, creating three south-facing ‘green’ landscaped roof terraces. These wide terraces link with an existing terrace above Bouverie Street and Whitefriars Street, wrapping around the southern façade of the building while acknowledging their relationship with the historic turret. The approach allows these terrace areas – characterised by extensive planting and roofs – to be used as outdoor workspaces and for meetings as well as ‘outdoor rooms’ where occupiers can socialise. The listed Art Deco elevations and the existing brick and stone Victorian façade on Tudor Street will be cleaned and repaired as part of the proposal but will otherwise remain unaltered in design and appearance.

Martha Grekos, Chair of the Public Realm and Environment Group of Fleet Street Quarter, said: “The building sits in the heart of the Fleet Street Business Development District and the contemporary iteration of Northcliffe House will act as a catalyst, attracting other businesses into the area by establishing a new ‘sense of place’.”

Original press release can be found here.