The £10bn regeneration of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre site in West London has taken a major step forward after securing unanimous hybrid planning approval from the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. The decision unlocks central London’s largest cleared development site and allows progress toward the first phase of delivery, subject to remaining consents.

The approved plans cover a 44-acre area set to be transformed into a new mixed-use urban district featuring homes, workplaces, cultural venues and extensive public realm. The hybrid consent provides detailed permission for initial elements and outline approval for others, enabling early works while final designs for later phases are advanced.

The masterplan includes around 4,000 new homes, with approximately 1,300 forming part of the first phase alongside new public spaces and an initial cultural venue. The proposals include commitments to affordable housing and community-focused facilities, addressing long-standing concerns about the level of local benefit offered by earlier iterations of the scheme.

The project also features plans for around 2.5 million square feet of workspace, much of it designed for climate-innovation and related industries, supported by a low- or zero-carbon energy network. Independent analysis indicates the completed district could support roughly 23,500 jobs nationwide, including about 12,000 on site, contributing an estimated £3bn a year to the UK economy.

While Hammersmith & Fulham has now granted its approval, a further planning decision is still required from the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, which covers part of the site. Subject to both boroughs agreeing the proposals, enabling works could begin around 2026, with first residents expected by about 2030 and full completion anticipated into the early 2040s.

The regeneration is being led by the Earls Court Development Company on behalf of the Earls Court Partnership, a joint venture between Delancey, Dutch pension investor APG and Places for London, the property arm of Transport for London. Local leaders have highlighted the decision as a significant milestone in realising the long-awaited transformation of a prominent site that has remained vacant for nearly a decade.