Frieze-linked sculpture commission at luxury London development faces affordable housing controversy

A luxury redevelopment of London's historic Old War Office building, set to open early next year, has drawn criticism for allegedly sidestepping affordable housing requirements. The project will include 85 luxury apartments priced from £5.8 million to £100 million and a 120-room Raffles hotel. Despite government rules mandating 85,000 square metres of affordable housing, developers argued providing 98 affordable units for key workers was economically unfeasible, a position Westminster City Council accepted. Instead of the required £39.6 million offset payment for off-site affordable housing, the Hinduja brothers—Britain's wealthiest individuals—contributed only £10 million. The development will feature a sculpture commissioned in collaboration with Frieze Art Fair, with the artist receiving a £25,000 fee plus production budget. Shalini Hinduja, daughter-in-law of developer Gopichand Hinduja, will serve on the Frieze sculpture commission jury alongside Frieze London director Eva Langret, Dundee Contemporary Arts curator Eoin Dara, artist Bharti Kher, and collector Suling Mead. Frieze stated it is in discussions with the OWO development about recent reports and will provide an update soon. Approximately a quarter of the luxury units had sold by March, according to the New York Times, while 4,000 families remain on Westminster's affordable housing waiting list.