Family home to become Turkmenistan embassy
Kensington and Chelsea councillors vote through plans to move the embassy to Victoria Road.
Family home to become Turkmenistan embassy
The Embassy of Turkmenistan is currently located in Holland Park
A family home in west London is set to become the Embassy of Turkmenistan.
Kensington and Chelsea councillors have approved plans to relocate the embassy from its present address at 131 Holland Park Avenue to 53 Victoria Road in Kensington, with the Holland Park property due to become the Tajikistan embassy.
The council received eight letters of objection, including concerns about the loss of a residential home in the borough.
Council planning officers accepted that residential accommodation would be lost, but said the site was in an area "identified as suitable for diplomatic and allied uses, with a number of established diplomatic premises nearby".
Victoria Road already houses the Embassy of Vietnam, and several other embassies are within a short walk.
A condition was also imposed requiring the property to revert to residential use if the Turkmenistan embassy leaves.
According to the planning officers' report, the applicant said the move was being carried out in coordination with, and with the support of, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
It is expected that between one and five people will visit the embassy each day, and it will be open from 09:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday.
At Tuesday's planning meeting, a council officer said transport officials had stated they were "confident that there's enough space" at the edge of the property to prevent queueing.
The development follows the Embassy of Montenegro moving into a family home in Westminster, prompting complaints from nearby residents.
Suburban house is N Korean embassy.