Willmott Dixon to start £80m London Fire Brigade HQ retrofit after planning win
The £80m scheme will restore the Grade II-listed 8 Albert Embankment and return 840 Brigade staff, with completion targeted for 2029.
- Section
- Renovation & Retrofit
- Author
- By Grace Kim
- Filed
- Length
- 2 min read
Key takeaways
- £80m retrofit of London Fire Brigade HQ at 8 Albert Embankment cleared planning
- Completion targeted for 2029 with around 840 staff returning
- Willmott Dixon Interiors holds the preconstruction role through Stage 3 and 4 design
- Lambeth Fire Station to close temporarily in winter 2026/27
- Building is Grade II-listed, dates from 1937, vacant since 2008
An £80m retrofit of London Fire Brigade's Grade II-listed headquarters at 8 Albert Embankment has cleared planning, with construction set to start shortly and completion targeted for 2029.
The scheme will bring the 1937 Art Deco landmark back into full use as the Brigade's headquarters, returning around 840 staff to the building on the south bank of the Thames.
Willmott Dixon Interiors secured the preconstruction role earlier this year, taking the project through Stage 3 and 4 design. The Brigade confirmed all key approvals are now in place for the phased refurbishment.
What does the retrofit cover?
The six floors of vacant offices above Lambeth Fire Station housed the Brigade's headquarters until it relocated to leased premises in Southwark in 2008. The project will revive that vacant office space.
Works include:
- Full renewal of mechanical, electrical and public health systems
- New life safety installations
- Replacement windows and re-roofing
- Recladding of the 1980s CMC extension
- New lifts, partitions, ceilings and finishes
- Refurbishment of appliance bays and the basement
The Grade II listing shapes the restoration brief. Historic features will be restored, and a publicly accessible heritage and learning space will be created around the Memorial Hall, which commemorates fallen London firefighters. A community room will serve local residents and groups.
What happens to Lambeth Fire Station?
Lambeth Fire Station will temporarily close during construction, with crews redeployed to Clapham and Chelsea stations. The closure is provisionally expected in winter 2026/27.
The station itself gains from the works: new equipment stores and workspaces, refurbished firefighter accommodation and improved training facilities.
The approval moves one of London's most recognisable civic buildings toward reoccupation after more than two decades of partial vacancy, with the Brigade consolidating its headquarters back into a building it owns rather than leases.
Source: Construction Enquirer
