Boris overrules fire authority on sale of Albert Embankment HQ

Mayor of London Boris Johnson this week followed through on his threat made in March to issue a direction in relation to the sale of the former London Fire Brigade headquarters on Albert Embankment.

The Mayor's threat triggered an angry response from members of the fire authority who accused deputy mayor Sir Edward Lister of an 'unwise' and 'discourteous' intervention.

The future of the Albert Embankment site is up for grabs following LFEPA's decision to ditch Native Land as its development partner.

Last year a planning inspector dismissed an appeal against Lambeth Council's refusal of planning permission for the Native Land redevelopment scheme.

City Hall wants the sell-off of the valuable riverside site – which is worth tens of millions of pounds – to be market-tested via the Mayor's London Development Panel, while the fire authority's advisors favour disposal on the open market.

The London Development Panel establishes a framework agreement between 25 developers, enabling public land owners to award individual contracts without having to go through a full procurement process each time.

Panel members include major developers such as Lend Lease and the Berkeley Group.

The mayoral direction was published on the same day that the Government launched a public consultation on plans to reform the makeup of the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority to give the Mayor more power over the fire service in the capital.