Lambeth approved the brigade's return to 8 Albert Embankment on 6 October. Lambeth fire station will shut for the works, with crews moving to Clapham.
London Fire Brigade will move its headquarters back to 8 Albert Embankment. Lambeth Council granted planning permission and listed building consent for the plans on Tuesday 6 October.
The brigade announced the decision the same day. The council’s planning register shows both applications, 25/03222/FUL and 25/03223/LB, as granted with the decision issued on 6 October. Both were submitted on 13 October 2025, so the decision took almost a year.
The building sits by Lambeth Bridge, a little over two miles north-east of Clapham Common. The part of this story that reaches Clapham is the fire station on its ground floor.
Lambeth fire station will close for the works
Lambeth Fire Station occupies the ground and first floors of the building. It will be refitted as part of the project.
The brigade’s project page says the station “will close in Winter 2026/27 (TBC) for the duration of construction, with crews decanted to Clapham and Chelsea fire stations.” The brigade says there will be no impact on response times or resilience as a result.
The closure date has not yet been confirmed. The project is due for completion in 2029.
What the approved plans include
The 1930s building was built as a combined fire station and office block. It has six floors of offices above the station. The brigade used them as its headquarters until 2008, when it moved to leased offices in Southwark. The building is Grade II listed.
According to the brigade and the planning register, the scheme includes:
- refurbishing the 1930s building and its 1980s extension, which once housed the brigade’s Control Room
- bringing the empty offices back into use as the brigade’s headquarters
- new equipment stores, workspaces and firefighter accommodation for Lambeth Fire Station
- better training facilities, and appliance bays adapted for modern fire engines
- a heritage and learning space for the brigade’s historic collection, centred on the Memorial Hall where fallen London firefighters are remembered
- a community room at the base of the 1980s extension, for local resident groups
- new windows, re-cladding of the extension block, a small rear extension and new landscaping
The listed building consent also covers the demolition of an obelisk on the site.
The work will be carried out by Willmott Dixon Interiors and Pick Everard. The brigade says the move saves money because it will no longer need to rent offices.
London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “Refurbishing and modernising an existing building offers the best value for Londoners and ensures we maintain an important presence in the heart of London.”
The brigade’s other sites nearby
The brigade owns two more sites close by. At its community update in June it said:
- the former vehicle workshop at 26 Lambeth High Street was set to be leased to Arcade Arena London, a company set up by Little Lion Entertainment, the operator behind The Crystal Maze attractions, for an immersive entertainment venue
- the Urban Oasis Plants licence on Newport Street was to end on 31 July, with the space used for operational vehicles from this autumn
- a planning application for electric vehicle charging on the Newport Street site was planned, with a decision expected by November 2026
What it means for you
- Fire cover: while Lambeth Fire Station is shut, its crews will work from Clapham and Chelsea fire stations. The brigade says response times will not be affected.
- Community room: local resident groups will be able to use the new room once the building reopens, due in 2029.
- Updates: the brigade holds community update sessions three times a year. You can join the project mailing list to hear about them and about construction work.
Other planning decisions across the area are on our Clapham planning news page.
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