London Fire Brigade is to return its headquarters to its historic home at 8 Albert Embankment after Lambeth Council granted planning permission for a major refurbishment of the site. The approved scheme will restore vacant office space for the Brigade’s headquarters, modernise Lambeth Fire Station and create public-facing heritage and community facilities.
The decision concerns a site whose main building was constructed in the 1930s as a combined fire station and office block. A later extension was added in the 1980s to accommodate the Brigade’s control room. Both the original building and the extension are included in the refurbishment plans.
Station facilities to be upgraded
Lambeth Fire Station occupies the ground and first floors of the building. The planned works include new equipment stores and workspaces, remodelled accommodation for firefighters and improvements to the site’s training facilities. The station’s appliance bays are also to be adapted for modern emergency vehicles.
The proposals retain the fire station at the site while changing and renewing its facilities. The Brigade’s approved scheme includes refurbishment of the office accommodation above, which is currently vacant. Once the work is complete, the offices will house the professional services that support the organisation’s daily operations, returning the building to a headquarters role.
The Brigade has said moving its headquarters back to Lambeth will remove the need to rent office space. Its commissioner, Jonathan Smith, described the move as a significant moment for the service and said the plans would combine an upgraded station and a modern headquarters with the preservation of an important part of the organisation’s history.
Heritage and community spaces
The plans include a new community room at the base of the 1980s extension, intended for use by local resident groups. A separate heritage and learning space will be centred on the Brigade’s existing Memorial Hall, where fallen London firefighters are remembered. The space is intended to display the Brigade’s historic collection and give members of the public a place to learn about its history.
The site is a Grade II listed building, and the project information describes the work as involving careful consideration of historic features. The approved plans therefore involve adapting an existing listed building rather than replacing it with a new headquarters complex. The heritage space and community room are among the facilities included alongside the operational station and offices.
The Brigade says it consulted local residents, businesses and community groups before submitting its planning application, following an options appraisal. The permission marks the shift from a planning proposal to an approved refurbishment scheme; it does not mean the works have already been completed.
Work expected to begin shortly
The Brigade’s project information says construction activity is due to begin shortly and gives 2029 as the expected completion year. The work is to be delivered for the Brigade by Willmott Dixon Interiors and Pick Everard. The project team also includes planning and community-engagement specialists.
While construction is under way, Lambeth Fire Station is expected to close temporarily for the duration of the works. The Brigade’s development information says the closure is anticipated in winter 2026/27, with the timing still to be confirmed, and that crews are expected to be decanted to Clapham and Chelsea fire stations. The Brigade states that it does not expect this arrangement to affect operational response times or resilience.
The refurbishment follows an earlier, separate proposal for the Albert Embankment site. The Brigade’s project history records that the Secretary of State refused planning permission for a previous application in 2021, after which the Brigade and its former development partner explored other options. That earlier decision related to the former proposal; the current permission is for the refurbishment scheme now approved by Lambeth Council.
With planning permission granted, the project’s next stage is preparation for construction. The outcome brings together the return of the Brigade’s headquarters, improvements to the existing fire station and new heritage and community uses within the historic Albert Embankment site.
