The Saudi owners of the former headquarters of The Guardian newspaper have triumphed after a controversial eight-year wrangle which will see the building demolished and the site redeveloped.

An eight-storey office block, with space for commercial use, will be built at the Farringdon Road site but there will be no housing.

The wealthy Jameel family, worth around £3bn in 2012, paid £28.5m for the building three years ago.

Developer Viridis Real Estate says the site will provide investors with a “perfect opportunity to benefit from the improved Crossrail infrastructure at Farringdon Station”.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson rejected plans submitted in 2008 by then owner Farringdon Developments to redevelop the site, saying the market conditions were not favourable.

But earlier this month councillors gave the go-ahead for the scheme.

Islington planning officers described the existing building as offering “very little in terms of architectural merit”.

Campaigners said the 77,500sq ft site, which was home to what was effectively the first council housing in England in 1864, should have been used for affordable homes.

The Jameel family have agreed to contribute £412,000 towards affordable housing elsewhere in the borough.

Affordable workspace suitable for small and medium-sized businesses will be provided on the ground floor.

Seven mature London plane trees will be cut down. Three will be retained and 14 others planted.

Staff from The Guardian moved to new headquarters in King’s Cross in 2008. The group had occupied the Farringdon Road building since the 1970s.

Drama company Theatre Delicatessen had been letting the building for the past few years.

• Keywords
  NEWSPAPERS, OFFICES
• Geographical keyword
  FARRINGDON ROAD