Restoration and reuse of Gasholder No.2 approved at King’s Road Park

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has granted planning approval for the restoration and repurposing of the Grade II listed Gasholder No.2 at King’s Road Park, securing the future of one of London’s most significant industrial heritage assets.

Constructed between 1829 and 1830, Gasholder No.2 is widely recognised as the oldest surviving gasholder in the world. The approved proposals allow for the careful dismantling, refurbishment and re-use of the historic structure, ensuring its long-term preservation while giving it a renewed role as the centrepiece of a new public community park.

The restored gasholder will sit at the heart of a biodiverse landscape, where its distinctive cast-iron tripods and decorative roundels have been sensitively retained and incorporated into the design by Gillespies. The scheme celebrates the site’s industrial past while creating a distinctive and memorable public space for the new community.

The gasholder restoration forms a central element of King’s Road Park, a major brownfield regeneration project led by St William, part of the Berkeley Group. The development is transforming a once-derelict former gasworks into a mixed-use neighbourhood, delivering approximately 1,800 new homes, including a significant proportion of affordable housing, alongside six acres of publicly accessible open space.

The 16-acre site will also provide around 100,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace, new walking routes, play spaces, a community park and public square, opening up an area that was previously inaccessible and reconnecting it with the surrounding neighbourhood.

The scheme sets a strong benchmark for environmental performance, targeting 112 percent biodiversity net gain and an urban greening factor of 0.45, exceeding Greater London Authority guidance for residential development and reinforcing King’s Road Park’s role as a greener, healthier and more sustainable place to live.