The site of a former art school in Whitechapel is set to become an office block.
Tower Hamlets councillors unanimously approved plans to double the height of Central House in Whitechapel High Street and turn it into offices.
The six-storey building was last occupied by London Metropolitan University’s Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design.
But staff left in August 2017 when the school was relocated to Aldgate.
As part of the plans the building will be extended upwards by six storeys and a roof garden added.
The development, which is opposite the Whitechapel Gallery, received 15 letters of support and just one complaint.
Around a quarter of the units will be available to businesses at slightly discounted rents as part of the planning conditions, the council’s strategic development committee heard.
Council officers noted: “The simple, refined and high quality materials palette is strongly supported and contrasts successfully with the retained structure and neighbouring heritage assets, most notably the Whitechapel Gallery.”
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