Family home to become Turkmenistan embassy
GoogleA family home in west London is to become the Embassy of Turkmenistan.
Kensington and Chelsea councillors have approved plans to move the embassy from its current location at 131 Holland Park Avenue to 53 Victoria Road in Kensington, with the Holland Park site due to become the Tajikistan embassy.
The council received eight letters of objection citing concerns such as the loss of a residential home in the borough.
Council planning officers acknowledged the loss of residential accommodation but said the site was located within an area "identified as suitable for diplomatic and allied uses, with a number of established diplomatic premises nearby".
Victoria Road is already home to the Embassy of Vietnam, while several other embassies are a short walk away.
A condition requiring the property to return to residential use should the Turkmenistan embassy vacate was also put in place.
The applicant said that the relocation was being undertaken in coordination with and with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, according to the planning officers' report.
Between one and five people are anticipated to visit the embassy per day, which would be open between 09:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday.
A council officer told Tuesday's planning meeting that transport officials had said they were "confident that there's enough space" at the boundary of the property to avoid queueing.
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