As one door opens……..

There are a couple of changes afoot for cafe and coffee lovers in Aldersgate Street.

Costa Coffee to replace the old NatWest Bank site in Aldersgate Street

A planning application containing details of the proposed conversion of the old NatWest Bank branch at 134 Aldersgate Street into a branch of Costa Coffee has recently been submitted. The application states that “The unit is currently vacant prior to being occupied by NatWest who operated the unit as bank. Reflecting this, the unit’s existing general arrangement consists of an office and designated banking hall space. The proposal for the unit to be occupied by Costa as a coffee shop will entail the installation of a counter, customer toilets, back of house facilities, and both fixed and freestanding furniture and display cabinets. Such a fit out is required to facilitate Costa providing sufficient customer facilities and being able to offer the full range of menu items………… Listed features such as decorative wall panelling and cornicing will be retained and protected, and the proposals will not adversely impact any other significant heritage features”.

The relevant planning application numbers are 25/00372/LBC and 25/00373/ADVT and the Planning, Heritage, Design, Access and Significance Statement provides all of the relevant details.

Hot on the heels of this application came another, but this time indicating the closure rather than opening of a local cafe

Aldersgate House – new office entrance and associated works will cause loss of cafe

A more recent application was submitted from Aldersgate House, 135-137 Aldersgate Street (the building at the entrance to Barbican Underground station) for the: “Installation of new glazed office entrance and associated works including external ramp, replacement railings and external lighting”. The relevant planning application reference number is 25/00374/FULL and the submitted documents can be viewed here. The Design & Access Statement/Report provides both the detail and depictions of the proposed changes.

By way of summary, the cover letter submitted with the application provides some detail: “The building is currently under a lease which expires in September 2025 and the applicant is in the process of securing contracts to undertake a comprehensive refurbishment to enhance the commercial offer and attract new tenancies…….. The application relates solely to the ground floor of the building where there is currently an entrance to the office floors underneath a modern glazed canopy. A separate accessible entrance is tucked in the corner of the elevation at the junction with Long Lane which is actually intended to operate as a fire exit…. A small café unit is located adjacent to the entrance to the tube station but due to the external gradients, this is not fully accessible.…..”

It goes on: “The proposed works ………seek to create a new entrance and expanded lobby that meets contemporary expectations for a commercial building ……. The scheme will create a properly proportioned, fully accessible lobby by incorporating the existing cafe tenancy space, which is essential to establishing an arrival experience appropriate for an office building of this scale and prominence. The new entrance design reinstates the original architectural integrity of the facade by positioning glazing behind the structural columns rather than in front of them………. Externally there will be improvements to the access and arrival to the building through the elimination of the current split-level arrangement and reconfiguration of the steps and ramps to align with natural pedestrian desire lines…..

So cafe Piazza will be lost?

In a word – Yes: “The proposed works result in the necessary loss of the small and constrained retail unit…..”

The cover letter explains: “Whilst the existing unit itself does not directly impact on the office use, it does inhibit the access and wayfinding to the office and its removal would clearly facilitate a significantly enhanced and fully accessible arrival experience as well as maintaining an active frontage through the expanded lobby and meeting space……”

Anyone wishing to comment on these proposals can do so here.

So as one door opens, another one closes………………..