Support our application

Public consultation on the future of Blue Star House

Thank you to everyone who took part in our public consultation. Derwent London has now submitted a planning application for proposals to transform Blue Star House into a modern hotel with flexible co-working space.

View our proposals
CGI of proposals along Stockwell Avenue

A sustainable future for Blue Star House

Derwent London is excited to share our proposals for Blue Star House, a building located in the heart of Brixton, opposite the O2 Academy, at 234-244 Stockwell Road, SW9.
The proposals will transform Blue Star House into a 341-room mid-market hotel with 631m² of modern flexible office space. The scheme will improve the streetscape along Stockwell Road, provide new green public spaces, and be delivered in a sustainable manner.
Working with our partners Astir, our proposals include the refurbishment and extension of Blue Star House and the creation of a new building on the existing car park to deliver a hotel and flexible co-working space.
The scheme has been shaped by feedback from local residents and stakeholders and aims to create a vibrant and interactive place in the heart of Brixton.
We are also exploring ways to celebrate Brixton’s cultural heritage through the design and use of the building.

We would welcome supportive comments on our application using the link below.

Support our application
Click here
CGI of proposals along Stockwell Avenue

How to support our application

A reminder of our proposals and the key benefits

Option 1

Email the Case Officer

It only takes a couple of minutes. Click the link below to send a simple email to Lambeth Council’s case officer voicing your support for the proposals.

All you need to do is add a few personalised points about why you think a new hotel, co-working space and public realm improvements are important for Brixton.

E-mail: jrotrand@lambeth.gov.uk

Click here to email the council

Option 2

Comment via Lambeth’s Planning Application Database

The application has now been validated by Lambeth Council. You can view the full proposals and submit your comments directly via the Council’s online planning portal.

Just search using the reference [25/02438/FUL].

View and comment on the application
A reminder of our proposals

Our proposals will deliver a wide range of benefits for Brixton:

  • New public landscaped gardens on Stockwell Road.
  • 341 hotel rooms and flexible office space, creating jobs for local people and supporting growing businesses.
  • Flexible, high-quality offices including affordable desks for local entrepreneurs and start-ups.
  • Hundreds of hotel visitors each week supporting Brixton’s shops, cafés and restaurants.
  • Keeping the existing building, bringing green roofs, biodiversity improvements and removal of car parking to encourage sustainable travel.
  • An estimated £1.5 million spent on local initiatives through S106 and CIL.
The Site
Blue Star House is located on Stockwell Road, in the heart of Brixton, opposite the O2 Academy venue and adjacent to The Department Store Studios and the former Quin & Axtens’ Department Store.
The site benefits from excellent connectivity being located only a short distance from Brixton Underground and Rail Stations and with strong bus network connections, encouraging active travel and the use of public transport.
The site consists of an existing 11-storey building in the centre, with a one storey building to the rear and a one storey extension to the front. The building was constructed in the 1960s and has a dated appearance which does not contribute positively to the area. It is no longer suitable for modern office use for numerous reasons including low floor to ceiling heights, narrow column grids and poor energy efficiency standards.
view our proposals
View location

We want your feedback on our updated vision, and how you think we can make this a new, vibrant and interactive place for Brixton

HAVE YOUR SAY
First Round of Consultation

See the outcomes of both consultations

First round of consultation
second round of consultation

First Round of Consultation

We are keen hear your thoughts and understand your feedback

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We delivered flyers to over 2,600 local addresses to advertise the first round of public consultation as well as reaching out to key local stakeholders.

We hosted two public exhibitions at Brixton House Theatre on Thursday 13th March, and Saturday 15th March, where we introduced our initial proposals to the local community.

A total of 31 attendees joined us across both events, sharing valuable feedback on community priorities, concerns and ideas. We met with LB Lambeth’s planning team over several months as well as key community groups including the Brixton BID, to further shape the development of our proposals.
If you were unable to attend but would still like to share your thoughts, we encourage you to fill out our survey and have your say.
Access the survey

Second Round Consultation

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For the second round of public consultation, two public exhibitions were held at Brixton Recreation Centre, attracting 14 attendees including ward councillors Cllr Nanda Manley-Browne and Cllr John-Paul Ennis, community groups, and residents.
Attendees engaged with the project team, sharing feedback on design refinements, public realm improvements, local cultural identity, and community facilities. Alongside the exhibitions, we met with local stakeholders such as the Nubian Jak Trust, Bright Centres, the Black Cultural Archives, and Brixton BID to discuss heritage connections, employment opportunities, and inclusive space provision.
This second round provided valuable insight into how our updated proposals were received, building on Round One feedback and ensuring the scheme continues to respond to community priorities.
If you were unable to attend but would still like to share your thoughts, we encourage you to fill out our survey and have your say.
Access the survey

You said

We did

Improve safety and reduce anti-social behaviour around the site.
The design of the development and public realm has been shaped by feedback from public consultations, community groups, Lambeth’s planning team and the Met Police Designing Out Crime Officer. It includes measures to deter drug storage, littering, public urination and other street crime, while enhancing passive surveillance through active frontages on all three sides of the site.
The proposals should be designed with neighbouring buildings in mind.
We have designed the proposals with a material and colour palette informed by surrounding buildings. The red brickwork on Stockwell Avenue reflects the Department Store Studios opposite, while the white/cream base echoes the upper floors of the adjacent former Department Store on Brixton Road.
The office space should focus on affordable, flexible options for local people rather than traditional offices.
A flexible co-working model is proposed to meet the demands of small businesses, start-ups and the local community. As part of this, we are committed to offering a selection of desk spaces at discounted rates specifically for local businesses.
Brixton’s cultural heritage must be celebrated.
We have an idea to feature permanent public art at the development to celebrate The Voice, Britain’s first and only national Black newspaper, which operated from Blue Star House for a number of years. This idea is at an early stage and we are keen to hear of other ways in which our proposals could celebrate the history and culture of Brixton.
There are so many co-working spaces already, and they aren’t full.
We have reduced the overall amount of office space from two floors, to one floor at ground level. Our design is also future proofed so that the office space can be converted to retail or another commercial use if the demand for office space is low in the future.
Sustainability should be prioritised.
The latest proposals include the retention of the existing building frame to avoid a carbon-costly full demolition and rebuild, along with blue roofs, energy-efficient systems, and biodiversity improvements through new landscaping.

More information about how we have further developed our proposals following feedback will be shared at our public exhibition.

Exhibition details

Proposed Development

At our March 2025 consultation we shared emerging ideas for the redevelopment of Blue Star House. The core principles remain the same, but the design has evolved in response to feedback from the local community, Planning and Design Officers, the Design Review Panel and the Designing Out Crime Officer.
The 11-storey Blue Star House will be stripped back to its concrete frame, reclad with a high-quality insulated façade, and converted into a mid-market hotel with rooms on the upper floors. A part four, part five-storey extension will provide additional rooms and a roof-level space, while the ground and first floors will accommodate the main entrance and hotel facilities, accessed from Stockwell Road and framed by new public spaces and gardens around two retained mature trees.
Along Stockwell Avenue, where the gym is currently located, a new building will deliver 631m² of modern flexible office space at ground and part of the first floor, with its entrance on the corner of Bellefields Road and Stockwell Avenue. The upper floors, set back from Bellefields Road, will provide more hotel rooms, with the two buildings linked so that all rooms are accessed from the main hotel lobby.
Across the site, all five mature trees will be retained, with new planting and green roofs introduced to increase biodiversity, alongside measures to reduce car use and encourage walking and cycling.
CGI of proposals along Stockwell Avenue
CGI of proposals along Stockwell Road

Our proposals

A vibrant new hotel with 341 rooms, catering to a diverse range of visitors in a currently under-supplied area.

Modern flexible workspace for local businesses, including a selection of desk spaces at affordable discounted rates, boosting productivity in the area.

An improved environment around the site, creating safer and greener streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

The scheme is expected to create around 423 construction jobs and 109 permanent roles, including apprenticeships for Lambeth residents, while also having the potential to generate over £13.6m per year in visitor spend.

A place that celebrates Brixton's rich cultural heritage.

A highly sustainable refurbishment model that reuses and repurposes the existing structure. This is estimated to save an amount of carbon equivalent to 1,594 return economy flights from London to New York.

Why a hotel?

With limited hotel options currently available, there is a significant opportunity to cater to this demand and diversify the hotel offering available to those wishing to stay in Brixton.
The hotel is expected to lead to increased visitor spend in the area, directly supporting local businesses. At full occupancy, it is estimated that the hotel could generate over £13.6 million per year in visitor spend.

Flexible co-working space

We’re replacing traditional offices with flexible workspaces for freelancers, creatives, and start-ups, plus a community space for workshops, responding to demand for affordable, adaptable workplaces.

Celebrating Brixton's cultural legacy

The building will be retrofitted, not demolished, cutting carbon, reducing waste, and creating a low-impact, future-proof hotel.

A sustainable development

The building will be retrofitted, not demolished, cutting carbon, reducing waste, and creating a low-impact, future-proof hotel.
BEFORE
after

Creating a more interactive place

We’re transforming the area by removing the car park, adding greenery, improving lighting, and activating the ground floor with a café and co-create space, making streets safer, greener and more welcoming.

Why a hotel?

With limited hotel options currently available, there is a significant opportunity to cater to this demand and diversify the hotel offering available to those wishing to stay in Brixton.

The hotel is expected to lead to increased visitor spend in the area, directly supporting local businesses. At full occupancy, it is estimated that the hotel could generate over £13.6 million per year in visitor spend.

Proposed Landscaped Outdoor Space on corner of Stockwell Road and Bellefields Road

CGI of proposals along Stockwell Avenue

Flexible co-working space

A flexible co-working model is proposed to meet the demands of small businesses, start-ups and the local community. As part of this, we are committed to offering a selection of desk spaces at discounted rates specifically for local businesses.

A highly sustainable development

Our proposals include the retention of the existing building frame to avoid a carbon-costly full demolition and rebuild, along with blue roofs, energy-efficient systems, and biodiversity improvements through new landscaping.
This adaptive reuse strategy will deliver a future-proofed, low carbon development that benefits both the local community and the wider area.
The retention and reuse of the existing building’s structure is estimated to save an amount of carbon equivalent to 1,594 return economy flights from London to New York.

Creating a Safer and More Welcoming Public Realm

Our proposals will transform the area around Blue Star House, creating a safer, greener and more welcoming public realm which is more active and inviting for local residents and the community.
before
after

Exhibition Boards

Round 1 Exhibition Boards
Round 2 Exhibition Boards

Have your say

Thank you to everyone that came along to our exhibitions to help us shape this prominent Brixton landmark

If you have questions for the project team, please email bluestarhouseconsultation@conciliocomms.com or call 0800 193 0884, and a member of the team will be in touch.
If you have questions for the project team, please email:
SEND E-MAIL

or call 0800 193 0884, and a member of the team will be in touch.

How can we make this a new, vibrant and interactive place for Brixton?

Now that the planning application for Blue Star House has been submitted, we will continue to keep you updated

Public
Exhibition

  • Saturday 28th June
  • 11am-2pm
  • Energy Zone, Level 4, Brixton Recreation Centre, 27 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8QQ
Thank you to all who attended

Public
Exhibition

  • Thursday 3rd July
  • 4-7pm
  • Energy Zone, Level 4, Brixton Recreation Centre, 27 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8QQ
Thank you to all who attended

Online
Survey

  • Our survey is now closed, but you can still share your feedback with us via the contact details provided at the bottom of the page.
  • Our survey is currently open. Please let us know your thoughts before Friday 28th March.
SURVEY HERE
We have now submitted our planning application to Lambeth Council
If you would like to be notified of any updates, then please share your details here:
Thank you for visiting our website and we look forward to

Derwent London

Derwent London is a renowned London-focused investor developer, who takes a long-term view to development. We are supported in the scheme by project manager Astir, and a world-class design and technical team.

The wider team

Astir
GRID Architects
Concilio Communications
DP9 planning consultancy
Thank you for participating in our public consultations on the proposals for Blue Star House.

We have now submitted a planning application to Lambeth Council.

The proposals will transform Blue Star House into a modern hotel with flexible co-working space in the heart of Brixton.


You can view our plans in full on Lambeth’s Planning Portal here. If you’re supportive of the plans, please leave a comment! 
(Reference: [25/02438/FUL])
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