Ebury Bridge phase two secures Gateway 2 approval

Westminster City Council has obtained Gateway 2 building control approval for the second phase of its Ebury Bridge estate regeneration in Pimlico, enabling McLaren Construction to advance the next five buildings. The council says five applications, one for each building, have been approved by the Building Safety Regulator. Its £229m main construction contract was approved in December 2025, so the October development concerns statutory building control rather than another contract award.

Phase two will provide 334 homes in the Pimlico estate redevelopment, including 228 intended for social rent. McLaren’s scope covers three independent buildings and two adjoining buildings, requiring a set of approvals rather than a single straightforward building control submission. Westminster is redeveloping an existing 1930s estate in stages while planning to restore connections, public space and local amenities across the completed neighbourhood.

Under the higher-risk building regime, Gateway 2 is a regulatory approval point before relevant construction work can begin. Applications must demonstrate how the proposed building work will comply with building regulations and how the client and appointed project team will manage that compliance. The regulator examines submitted design and control information before determining whether the proposed work may proceed. Planning permission and the appointment of a main contractor do not, on their own, satisfy this requirement.

Following Gateway 2 approval, the contractor must construct the approved design and maintain the records and controls required under the higher-risk building regime. Material changes to regulated elements cannot simply be incorporated through ordinary site instructions without considering the prescribed change-control process. That distinction creates a continuing compliance responsibility for the client, designers and principal contractor as building work progresses.

Westminster’s account describes five applications corresponding to the five buildings in phase two. As construction progresses, interfaces between structural design, façades, building services, access and fire precautions must remain consistent with the approved submissions. The regulator’s decision provides a basis on which the building works may proceed, but does not verify the completed structures or dispense with later certification. Each approved submission sets requirements for its respective building, while the regulator’s completion and occupation checks remain separate subsequent stages.

Westminster approved McLaren’s phase-two appointment with a main construction contract sum of £229,340,184 in December 2025. Its decision also addressed the broader financial arrangements needed to reach practical completion, including professional services and other construction-related expenditure. Those figures describe the existing phase-two commitment. The October Gateway 2 outcome should not be represented as an additional £229m investment or a fresh competition for the main works.

The earlier phase was delivered by Bouygues and provided new homes on the estate before McLaren’s appointment to the next stage. Westminster is replacing the original 1930s development over a phased programme; the precise total for the whole scheme is described differently in contemporary project accounts, so the new approval is best measured against its unambiguous phase-two scope of 334 homes. Of these, 228 are designated for social rent.

Housing delivery is accompanied by rebuilding the estate’s supporting public realm. The council’s published plans for phase two include a central community square, play space, a community centre and new commercial premises. The proposals will also re-establish the Ebury Bridge Road retail parade and improve pedestrian routes through the neighbourhood, with connections intended to serve existing residents as well as occupants of the new buildings.

Delivering new homes alongside retail units, pedestrian connections and public facilities adds interfaces beyond the residential structures. Construction access, services, external works and the sequence in which space can be occupied must be coordinated on an established central London site. The public realm and retail proposals are part of the wider regeneration programme; they should not be mistaken for elements certified as complete by the latest building control approval.

Regulatory responsibility continues during delivery of higher-risk buildings. Project teams are expected to maintain information about the work as constructed and manage significant changes in accordance with the applicable controls. Later stages include the completion certification required before a higher-risk residential building can be occupied, distinct from the October approval to proceed with construction work.

Gateway 2 clearance removes a significant pre-construction regulatory hurdle for the five buildings. The work must still meet the approved details and continuing control requirements, with completion certification and occupation decisions later in the programme. The phase-two completion target is May 2029; the October decision allows regulated building work to progress rather than confirming that any of the 334 homes have been built.