Royal Festival Hall rooftop bar ‘would ruin skyline’
PLANS to install a rooftop bar on the Royal Festival Hall risk ruining the building’s landmark skyline, according to conservation campaigners.
The Southbank Centre and a commercial partner, the Incipio Group, have applied for permission to erect a temporary, transparent pavilion on the flat roof that would span across almost 7,400 sq ft and would be home to Pergola on the River for three years.
The plans would allow the bar to be open until 2am on weekends and offer diners views of the Thames, reported The Guardian. However campaigners have denounced the plans, claiming they would obscure the distinctive signage of the Grade I-listed building as well as the curved roof behind it.
Grace Etherington, from the conservation group Twentieth Century Society, said: “It is a landmark building and the riverside frontage is fundamental to its significance. This is not the right location for an off-the-peg design.”
She said the hall and surrounding buildings “represent the best of 20thcentury architecture in this country and they should be cherished rather than treated in such a shocking and insensitive way”.
Historic England has also recommended refusal “because of the serious and unjustified harm” it would cause to the Royal Festival Hall.
Once the three years has passed the space is then earmarked to become an open-air venue for performances.
Discussions with Lambeth council began in March and have involved Historic England. Despite strong objections over the plans the centre has revealed it would be unable to carry out much-needed upgrades on the hall without the money from a commercial restaurant or bar.
The application says there are “considerable maintenance and capital works costs” for the hall. Required works include roof repairs, waterproofing, redecoration and security improvements.
The last refurbishment took place in 2007. “Despite this challenging financial environment, the Government continues to encourage Southbank Centre to be innovative and entrepreneurial in developing a diverse funding base,” the application says.