The National Army Museum is set to gain a major underground extension as part of a neighbouring housing redevelopment that has just been submitted for planning approval.
The scheme, announced earlier this year, proposes demolishing and rebuilding a 1970s block of flats next to the museum on Tite Street. Between the two buildings lies the museum’s small car park — but under the new plans, that space would be excavated to form a shared basement beneath both the new flats and the museum.
Details overlay on Google maps
This new subterranean level would allow the museum to expand its footprint, adding a new gallery that will display the Army’s role on a global stage and look at how science and technology have impacted and supported soldiers and their different roles.
The new subterranean space will also include a 140-seat auditorium for events and hiring out.
The developer will provide the museum with the box structure, which the museum will then fit out. The museum plans to announce fundraising for this work later, assuming planning permission is granted.
Schematic of the expansion – source: planning documents
Once construction is complete, the existing car park above won’t return — instead, it will be transformed into a landscaped public garden designed by landscape architect Andy Sturgeon. The garden will be delivered by London Square, the developer behind the housing project, and then managed by the National Army Museum. Planning documents indicate it will be open to the public for at least 12 hours a day, likely from 7am to 7pm.
The proposed park between the museum and the new flats – source: planning documents
Alongside the museum’s new facilities, the local council stands to benefit from a £12.7 million Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment and an additional £5.29 million contribution towards affordable housing — the equivalent of around 13 new affordable homes in the borough.
If planning approval is granted, they expect to start construction work late next year, with completion by the end of 2029.
