Harrow Council's Planning Committee has approved plans to transform the Grade II listed White House on the Harrow College campus into a community health hub. The decision, made at a meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, grants planning permission and listed building consent for the change of use. The proposal includes external alterations, parking, and landscaping to accommodate GP surgeries and primary healthcare facilities.
The new health hub is expected to relocate the existing Headstone Road GP Surgery, which is currently facing significant challenges. The surgery is identified as being at the highest level of estate-related risk and greatest need for relocation to premises that will enable to meet its demand.
The move will enable an expansion of GP provision, increasing annual appointment capacity from approximately 5,259 to around 7,200 appointments, and allowing for a broader range of healthcare services to be offered to local residents. The report states that the proposal would expand GP provision numbers and provide additional sort of supporting health facilities. So, it will form part of a hub.
While the committee acknowledged that the works would cause medium level
harm to the significance of the listed building, councillors agreed that this was outweighed by the public benefits of providing enhanced healthcare services and securing a viable long-term use for the historic building. The report states that the harm has at the same time been reduced through proposed conditions and amendments to the proposal during the course of the application.
Additionally, some aspects of the identified harm could be mitigated or avoided through the imposition of appropriately worded planning conditions and conditions attached to the associated Listed Building Consent. Such measures would help to minimise the impact on the building's historic significance and ensure that detailed design and implementation works are undertaken in a sensitive manner.
The White House, a Regency-style building dating from around 1820, was previously used for administrative purposes by Harrow College. The college has since undergone refurbishment and redevelopment, making the building surplus to educational requirements.
Concerns raised during the consultation process included the impact on the listed building's fabric and the demolition of the existing conservatory. However, amendments to the original proposals, including the retention of the conservatory in a modified form, helped to mitigate these concerns. The proposal includes the demolition of existing conservatory and its replacement with a new single storey conservatory with front projection.
The committee also discussed the site's location within the Roxborough Park and Grove Conservation Area and the potential impact on trees and biodiversity. Conditions have been attached to the approval to ensure appropriate landscaping, tree protection, and biodiversity enhancements are implemented. The landscaping plan includes replacement tree planting
and habitat enhancements
. Conditions will be imposed to secure a Biodiversity Gain Plan
and a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP)
. The proposal also includes bird and bat boxes on retained trees or buildings, where appropriate.
Further details of the meeting and the proposals can be found in the Public reports pack available on the Harrow Council website. Public reports pack Wednesday 02-Sep-2026 18.30 Planning Committee
