Green Roof Proposed for New Guards Bands Rehearsal Hall

PLANS FOR a new green roof are part of a proposed redevelopment of the band rehearsal halls at Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk in London.

The plans submitted to Westminster Council show a planted roof deck at the first floor level. It will link a new, larger band practice building with the army’s existing accommodation building at Birdcage Walk. The green roof will replace parts of what is currently a metal clad faceted roof.

Green Roof Proposal

London architects HLM have designed the proposed rehearsal rooms building development to feature pitched, bronze-clad, lantern-style roofs, with clerestory glazing. The exterior will be lime-washed brick and 3m taller than at present.

The green roof deck will include trees, a green, screened seating area and a small pond.

Conditions at Wellington Barracks were recently criticised as inadequate and outdated. The Army has recognised that parts of its estate are in poor condition and says it is “committed to addressing substandard facilities as a priority”.

The band facilities at Wellington Barracks are used by the bands of the Foot Guards. These include the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards. However, they do not meet current health and safety standards and the Army says they are too small to house all the bands based there.

The redevelopment of the rehearsal halls include mitigation measures to combat climate change. These will be reinforcement of the roofs and increasing the capacity of guttering and drainage down-pipes.

The rehearsal hall is on the eastern edge of Wellington Barracks, adjacent to the Ministry of Justice and a block of 1980s-built accommodation. While the barracks estate contains Grade II listed buildings, the rehearsal hall is unlisted.

Westminster City planning committee councillors will review the application at a meeting on 19 March.

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