James Hatts

London Fire Brigade Fire Brigade plans return to old Albert Embankment HQ The London Fire Brigade's search for a new headquarters when the lease on its Union Street building comes to an end has led it to consider returning to its historic home on the Albert Embankment. We reported in November 2023 that the London Fire Brigade was planning to leave its current offices in a former parcels sorting office in Union Street when the lease ends in 2027.

Hotels Create Real Estate applied to Southwark Council earlier this year for change of use of the vacant office building at 291-299 Borough High Street. The decision was made at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday evening. Planning officer Zaib Khan explained that the development "would contribute to meeting an identified growth need in Southwark" and was in line with London planning policy which anticipates a requirement for thousands more hotel rooms in central London.

History Lost Gardens of London is a new exhibition curated by Dr Todd Longstaffe-Gowan that tells the story of some of the capital's green spaces that are gone but not forgotten. The exhibition covers the whole of London and includes several Southwark and Lambeth gardens. Dr Longstaffe-Gowan believes that his choice of locations featured in the show says something about the city's north-south divide.