Demolition calling: AHMM cleared to knock down Clash dole office

Lisson Grove 2

Source: AHMM

Planners approve redevelopment of 1950s block where band members first crossed paths

Westminster City Council has approved AHMM-designed proposals to redevelop a 1950s office block in Marylebone that formed the backdrop for the first meeting between the three core members of legendary band the Clash.

On Tuesday, the authority’s planning committee gave the green light to the practice’s plans to replace the four-storey block on Lisson Grove, which was purpose-built as a labour exchange, with a seven-storey office building that includes a roof terrace.

A Job Centre Plus is still part of the buildings currently on the site. In the mid-1970s it was the location of the first face-to-face encounter between future Clash vocalist Joe Strummer, guitarist Mick Jones and bass player Paul Simonon.

Strummer subsequently said he feared his bandmates-to-be were planning to mug him at the time

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