Camden Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the office-led scheme, which will see a 1980s block transformed into 250,000 sq ft of workspace with a new-look entrance on Charing Cross Road and rooftop terraces.

The project, known as EDGE Shaftesbury, will retain around 75% of the existing structure to cut embodied carbon and is targeting BREEAM Excellent as part of Edge’s push for sustainable design.

The project will increase the building’s height from 11 to 13 floors.

A new pedestrian route, Caxton Walk, will be created to link New Compton Street with Old Compton Street

The project professional team includes architect DSDHA working with M&E engineer SWECO and structural consultant AKT II. Gardiner & Theobald is the cost consultant.

New terraced upper levels

Shinichi Kagitomi, chief executive of Mitsubishi Estate London, added: “It is well established that the west end office market is currently chronically under-supplied. This approval will be welcomed by the occupier community.”

The building, which sits just south of Tottenham Court Road station, has been home to the likes of BT, Yahoo, Meta and WeWork over the years.