The Queensway Parade development in Bayswater, within the City of Westminster, has secured swift planning approval just a year after its acquisition by the developer and architect firm Vabel. The project involves transforming an 18,600m² site at 114-150 Queensway from a ‘tired, underutilised parade’ into a vibrant mixed-use scheme composed of two interconnected seven-storey buildings. These will provide 94 new homes, including 35 affordable units, alongside retail and office spaces, marking a significant shift towards a residential-led development.
This latest plan replaces a previous scheme by Foster + Partners, which had been approved in late 2023. That earlier proposal, called The William, was office-focused and timber-led, featuring a six-storey block that utilised only a fraction of the site for housing, about a fifth of the total area. Backed by estate investment management firm MARK, it was designed to complement Foster + Partners’ refurbishment of the adjacent Grade II-listed Whiteley department store. However, despite several revisions to massing, the office-heavy scheme was ultimately abandoned by MARK prior to the site’s sale to Vabel.
Vabel, which operates a dozen-strong in-house architect team and serves as both owner and developer, pivoted the project towards a residential emphasis to align with local and London-wide targets on boosting affordable and private housing supply. The company’s plans include 37 percent affordable housing, surpassing local policy requirements, and aim to enhance the site’s contextual fit by drawing architectural inspiration from the mansion blocks characteristic of the surrounding area. Westminster’s planning officer noted that this design demonstrated ‘notably greater contextual awareness and mitigation’ compared to the 2023 proposal, despite some concerns from local respondents about the building’s scale and visual impact on nearby conservation sites.
The development benefits from extensive stakeholder engagement and garnered strong community and council support, culminating in a unanimous approval by Westminster’s Strategic Planning Applications Committee. According to Turley, who managed the planning process on behalf of Vabel, the scheme will also incorporate public realm improvements and uphold high sustainability standards, reinforcing its commitment to quality urban regeneration.
Jeremy Spencer, co-founder of Vabel, told the Architects’ Journal that the project’s rapid progression—from application submission in May to approval the following month—was largely due to the firm maintaining control over the entire process as developer, architect, and contractor. This streamlined setup allowed the team to address council feedback efficiently and avoid delays typically caused by having multiple external parties involved. Spencer acknowledged, however, that this integrated business model entails considerable financial risk since Vabel assumes full ownership and development responsibilities, a practice still relatively uncommon in the UK market. Nevertheless, he expressed optimism about the approach’s potential, especially on smaller-scale projects, noting that it could improve delivery speed amid the challenges facing the industry.
To finance the Queensway site—Vabel’s second in Westminster—the company secured a £30 million co-loan facility from OakNorth and ASK Partners. This financial backing supports Vabel’s broader ambition, as the firm transitions from bespoke small-scale housing since its founding in 2009 to delivering substantially larger developments that contribute meaningfully to London’s housing supply.
With another smaller Westminster project nearing completion nearby, Vabel plans to prioritise onsite construction at Queensway Parade imminently. The firm’s comprehensive project team includes a wide range of consultants encompassing heritage, fire, sustainability, structural engineering, landscape design, and various specialist assessments, underscoring the scheme’s complexity and ambition.
In sum, Queensway Parade represents a notable example of how integrated developer-architect models can facilitate more responsive and residential-focused urban regeneration, aiming to meet contemporary housing needs while respecting local context and planning priorities.
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Source: Noah Wire Services