Sellar is expected to submit a planning application for its redesigned £775m scheme

CGI of the public realm at Sellar and Piano's Paddington Cube - view from Paddington Station

Sellar is expected to submit a planning application for its redesigned £775m Paddington Cube scheme by mid-September.

The developer unveiled radically revised designs for a 14-storey office scheme on the site of Paddington’s former Royal Mail sorting office last week, after running into fierce opposition over its previous plans for a 72-storey tower.

The new designs, again from Renzo Piano, now take the form of a giant cube.

Sellar in joint venture with Great Western Developments also scrapped plans to house 330 luxury flats in the scheme, opting instead for only 360,000 sq ft of office space plus 80,000 sq ft of retail and the rest restaurants.

Shard architect William Matthews, who has been involved in the scheme, told Building that Sellar ditched the flats partly because offices are less contentious and prompt fewer complaints than luxury flats.

He said: “There was a concern with the previous scheme because of the resi and the growing tiredness and anger in some quarters about high-end resi. People are much more forgiving about an office building. I understand that.”