Company Details for
London & Continental Railways

Address

Log in or Subscribe to see address details for London & Continental Railways

Telephone & FAX

Log in or Subscribe to see telephone and fax details for London & Continental Railways

Email & Website

Log in or Subscribe to see email and website details for London & Continental Railways

Associated Projects


Log in or Subscribe to see associated projects for London & Continental Railways

News about London & Continental Railways

A full news search is available here

 

Subscribe to view the stories below >>>

Midtown deal

Fringe scheme start

Refurbishment plan in W1

City scheme underway

City fringe start

EC2 planning renewal

Pre-let at Regents Place

City scheme poised

Midtown HQ to start

Refurbishment in EC2

City consent

Office site to be residential

Major scheme starts on site

Refurbishment plan in EC1

City consent

Dockland application

City refurbishment plan

Office plans revived

City pre-let

Refurbishment underway

Mayfair scheme deal

SE1 scheme on site

Plans approved

Refurbished office let

Paddington application

City refurbishment consent

Midtown options

West End refurbishment

City fringe mixed use scheme

Astoria site decision soon

Demolition underway

Contractor appointment

City fringe application

City site sale

Mayfair consent

Tower reduction plan

EC1 scheme underway

City refurbishment green light

Victoria consent

Noho refurbishment start

New plans revealed

US firm takes a floor

Strand site sold

City block may re-start

Soho scheme poised

Revised consent in EC3

St James redevelopment

City scheme nears completion

US bank shortlists architects

Former HQ refurbishment

Contractor tipped

City refurbishment start

Architect for scheme

City scheme redesign

Summer completion expected

West End scheme deal

Mayfair redevelopment

Oxford Street start

Contractor tipped

St James's refurbishment

Mixed-use ideas

Retrofit to start

City scheme letting

Refurbishment on market

Midtown appointment

Former HQ refurbishment

City refurbishment start

Phase 4 on site

Demolition starts

HQ refurbishment starts

London Offices – An Olympic Year?

Application in EC1

Tower contractor

Midtown scheme start

Refurbishment in SW1

Midtown refurb

Tenders to be invited

Canary start

Contractor appointed

Refurbishment starts

Victoria scheme deal

West End refurb underway

City scheme application

HQ lease signed

Mayfair HQ revised

Contractor appointment

First tenant for Victoria scheme

West end consent

Refurbishment start in EC3

City refurbishment application

Architect replaced

City scheme letting

Liverpool Street consent

Refurbishment in EC4

Consent for Noho scheme

Planning consent

Tower letting

Midtown consent

Contractor in W6

Refurbishment in EC2

March lettings - deals climb

London office lettings in March 2012 as researched by Cityoffices, reached 800,000 sq ft, in line with recent monthly totals. The largest letting was Pushbutton's near 50,000 sq ft deal at the Glasshouse building in EC1. A healthy 70 deals of 5,000 sq ft or more were recorded in the month. - (18-04-2012)

Add to portfolio

February London Office Take-up

London Office take-up in February 2012 reached 800,000 sq ft in 45 separate deals over 5,000 sq ft, according to Cityoffices. Burberry's 125,000 sq ft HQ pre-let of 1 Page Street was the biggest deal and one of the few involving grade A space. Some 32 deals were in the core and 17 were in the fringe. - (07-03-2012)

Add to portfolio

London Offices – An Olympic Year? - Subscribe to find out

After a fairly average year for the central London office market, which in the context of a struggling economy and a moribund regional office market, is really good news; we look at the prospects for the Olympic 2012 and beyond. What does the year hold in store for both occupier and development activity in London? Subscribe to find out..... - (01-03-2012)

Add to portfolio

Glasnost - Online Project, Contact & Image Management

January total up

Central London office lettings in January 2012 reached a healthy 850,000 sq ft. The total was underpinned by UBM's 103,000 sq ft pre-let of part of 240 Blackfriars Road in London, SE1. Other Grade A lettings included deals at Heron Tower, 200 Aldersgate Street and The Peak in Victoria. The Core saw 500,000 sq ft of deals compared to 350,000 sq ft in the fringe in a total of 40 transactions over 5,000 sq ft. - (15-02-2012)

Add to portfolio

Cityoffices London report

A new report from Cityoffices and Metropolis looks ahead at the London office market in 2012. Amongst its conclusions are that the trend towards refurbishments in central London will continue, with dozens of office revamp schemes lined up to go ahead this year, including 1 Threadneedle Street, 36 Queen Street and 51 Eastcheap. 2011 saw 50 new development starts, of which over 70% of these were refurbishments. - (10-02-2012)

Add to portfolio

December lettings

December 2011 office lettings for central London reached 850,000 sq ft. The recent trend of deals migrating to the fringes, slowed this month with 72pc of transactions occuring in the core areas. This brought the yearly total to 8.7 million sq ft in lettings over 5,000 sq ft. - (27-01-2012)

Add to portfolio

November lettings surge

Office lettings in London in November 2011 topped 1 million sq ft for only the third time this year. Helped by large pre-lets to Camden Council and Aon Insurance. The fringe areas almost matched the core, with roughly half a million sq ft each. Professional and financial services companies predominated in November. The average lease term is 8 years. We expect the final year total to be just under 9 million sq ft. - (15-12-2011)

Add to portfolio

Central London - a Sack Full of Refurbs (Summary)

CityOffices has just completed its bi-annual survey of the central London office development market. Despite the national economic woes and the virtual stagnation of office construction in UK regional markets, there are now 52 office schemes under construction in central London totaling 8.1m sq ft. In comparison, at the beginning of the year there were 39 schemes underway totaling 7m sq ft.

Subscribe for full details. - (09-12-2011)

Add to portfolio

October London Office Deals

October 2011 office lettings in central London proved to be sluggish, with only just over 600,000 sq ft transacted in 36 deals over 5,000 sq ft. This total compares to over a million sq ft in September. The month was underpinned by an 87,000 sq ft letting to Deloitte in the City. Elsewhere, fringe areas saw almost as much activity as the core and lettings of Grade A space dropped. - (29-11-2011)

Add to portfolio

Victoria scheme letting

Group 4 Security (G4S) division, has signed to take 567 sq m (6,105 sq ft) of offices on the 8th floor at the recently-completed 'The Peak' office scheme at 331-333 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1. CB Richard Ellis was the letting agent. - (25-11-2011)

Add to portfolio

HQ pre-let in NW1

Debenhams, the retailer, has agreed a pre-let of 13,471 sq m (145,000 sq ft) at British Land’s Regent's Place North East Quadrant scheme, London, NW1. The retailer will move on completion of the scheme in summer 2013. Debenhams will occupy the ground to fourth floors of the development at 10 Brock Street for a term of 25 years, with break options. - (28-10-2011)

Add to portfolio

September take-up rises

London office lettings reached the magic 1 million sq ft mark in September 2011, including 160,000 sq ft of new Grade A space. Figures from Cityoffices show a healthy 71 deals over 5,000 sq ft were signed, with the City accounting for almost half the total. Analysis shows tenants are still more likely to sign for cheaper fringe or Midtown space, with over half the floorspace let in these areas. - (25-10-2011)

Add to portfolio

UK's tallest crane

The UK's tallest crane is now in place over the Shard in London, SE1. The crane will reach 317m (1,040 ft) above ground level and will enable the building modules making up the 23-storey steel 'spire' to be put in place. - (10-10-2011)

Add to portfolio

London Office Market – Special Report - Summary

CityOffices has produced a special report on the prospects for the London office market. The report, available free of charge to subscribers, looks at the number of new office requirements being launched into the market in 2011 compared with 2010 (with examples), and sets this in the context of future lease expiries in 2012 and 2013. The report also looks at the trends in the London office construction market and picks out the areas which are likely to see most growth in the next two years. Highlights include:

- 342 office requirements in first half of this year representing 9m sq ft of office demand
- Potential 7m sq ft of leases expiring in next two years
- 7.3m sq ft of Grade A central London office space currently under construction and available in Sep 2011
- Overall 17.2m sq ft of office space available for letting in the next three and a half years - (07-10-2011)

Add to portfolio

August take-up rebounds

Central London office take-up in August 2011 reached 802,000 sq ft, according to latest figures from Cityoffices. This total was a modest improvement on the slightly subdued months of June and July, but was underpinned by a 275,000 sq ft letting to EMA in Docklands. Figures refer to deals of 5,000 sq ft and over only. - (29-09-2011)

Add to portfolio

Heron Tower deal

Bank Snoras, the foreign bank, has taken 1,205 sq m (12,969 sq ft) on the 20th floor of the newly-completed Heron Tower at 106-126 Bishopsgate, London, EC2. The rent is thought to be around £55 per sq ft. Mellersh & Harding advised. - (24-09-2011)

Add to portfolio

Docklands pre-let

The European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) is to pre-let of 23,226 sq m (250,000 sq ft) at 25 Churchill Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14. The EMEA is expected to occupy the promenade, ground and first nine floors of the 20 storey office in 2014/2015. EMEA is thought to have agreed a rent of £46.50 on a 25 year lease with no breaks starting in January 2015. The agency is reported to have the option of taking an additional four floors of around 2,555 sq m (27,500 sq ft) each. A 37 month rent free period has been agreed which will be used to pay for the building’s fit-out. - (16-09-2011)

Add to portfolio

Attorney signs for EC1 scheme

Venner Shipley, the patent and trade mark attorney, is taking 1,611 sq m (17,346 sq ft) of offices on the 8th floor at the newly completed 200 Aldersgate office scheme in London, EC1. Lease length and rent have been kept confidential. - (02-09-2011)

Add to portfolio

Kings Cross pre-let

Camden Council has agreed to pre-let 11,782 sq m (126,818 sq ft) of offices on the 4th-10th floors at the soon to be constructed 17,187 sq m (185,000 sq ft) 3 Pancras Square in London, N1. The building will be developed from late 2011 by King's Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP) for completion in 2014. Architect David Chipperfield. - (26-08-2011)

Add to portfolio

City HQ decision

The Government has decided not to list the Broadgate complex in the City of London, EC2, clearing the way for construction of a new 12-storey 700,000 sq ft HQ for UBS bank at 5 Broadgate by developer British Land. Completion is scheduled for 2014. - (16-06-2011)

Add to portfolio

May London Office Take-up

Office lettings in central London bounced back to just under 1 million sq ft in May 2011 in new research by Cityoffices. Large lettings to Google and Aon helped underpin the total, together with some stronger letting activity in the West End. A large number of leases were for around five years, illustrating the fluid state of the market. - (16-06-2011)

Add to portfolio

Major letting for midtown scheme

Google, the US internet group, is taking 14,864 sq m (160,000 sq ft) of offices on the entire fourth, fifth, and ninth floors, and part of the third and sixth floors at the recently-completed Central St Giles scheme in London, WC2 on a 10-year lease. CB Richard Ellis acted for Google UK. - (27-05-2011)

Add to portfolio

April London Office Take-up

London office take-up for April 2011 was below average at just over 500,000 sq ft according to research by Cityoffices.net. The West End had a quiet month, with the City and fringe areas dominating the 46 deals of over 5,000 sq ft. The largest letting was Hays Recruitment's 47,000 sq ft at 107 Cheapside, EC2. - (25-05-2011)

Add to portfolio

Towering Ambition

London’s next development cycle is now well underway with some 30 office schemes starting in the last six months, amounting to 510,962 sq m (5.5m sq ft) of new space coming on-stream.

Skyscrapers are topical again, and in this CityOffices newswire we look in detail at the unprecedented ‘clutch’ of new office towers (defined as 20+ storeys) nearing completion, underway and planned.

The last development cycle saw completion of the 37,160 sq m (398,000 sq ft), 34-storey Broadgate tower, EC2, now largely fully let; the 38,740 sq m (417,000 sq ft) 36-storey 125 Old Broad Street, EC2 has only 5,000 sq ft still available; the 55,091 sq m (593,000 sq ft), 36-storey Ropemaker Place, EC2, which is fully let; and the 25-storey, 30,750 sq m (331,000 sq ft) Drapers Gardens scheme in Throgmorton Avenue, EC2, which was pre-let.

All the above towers are in the City of London and interestingly there were no skyscrapers completed in Canary Wharf in the last cycle, or, less unusually, in the West End, Midtown or fringe. The almost-complete 59,921 sq m (645,000 sq ft), 46-storey Heron Tower in Bishopsgate, EC2, will end the tower building activity for the 2006-2011 property cycle.

The next cycle will see completion of the 75,901 sq m (817,000 sq ft), 80-storey, Shard, SE1 in 2012; the 63-storey, 111,482 sq m (1.2m sq ft) Pinnacle, EC2, in 2013; the 37-storey, 79,895 sq m (860,000 sq ft) 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3 (Walkie Talkie) and 47-storey, 67,075 sq m (722,000 sq ft) Leadenhall Building (Cheesegrater) both in 2014.

Schemes which are not yet under construction and may be completed in the next cycle are the 40-storey, 71,534 sq m (770,000 sq ft) 100 Bishopsgate, EC3, where a 2011 start is envisaged; the 22-storey, 27,870 sq m (300,000 sq ft), 60-70 St Mary Axe, EC3 (Can of Spam); and the 21-storey 93,440 sq m (1m sq ft) Aldgate Place, E1.

Elsewhere, a possible 20-storey plus scheme is being designed for Elizabeth House, and a 31-storey scheme for Kings Reach House, both in SE1. At Canary Wharf, the 2m sq ft redevelopment of Heron Quays is planned to include a 33-storey tower and there are still outstanding proposals for a 43-storey part office tower at Crossharbour; a 43-storey tower at Millharbour; and a 63-storey tower at the site formerly known as Columbus Tower in E14. In the West End, plans for the Victoria Interchange include a tower of up to 20-storeys.

The question is how successful are these new towers likely to be? The Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe) in EC3, has rapidly became a London icon, but 10-years ago, post 9/11, it was very slow to let, with over 50% still vacant on completion. Other high-rise buildings such as Centrepoint in the West End and 1 Canada Square at Canary Wharf were slow to let in the early days. Despite these examples developers seem keener than ever to build towers.

In total some 315,868 sq m (3.4m sq ft) of office space is under construction in five office towers, but still available, with a further 260,126 sq m (2.8m sq ft) in towers that could start in 2011 or 2012. These are big numbers, however, to put it in context, the City of London saw lettings of new unoccupied office space of 260,126 sq m (2.8m sq ft) in 2010, so a single year’s take-up could almost fill them. The five towers will be completed over a four-year period, during which they will currently face limited competition from newly completed, large, low-rise schemes in the City.





Experience from completed towers such as Broadgate Tower, 125 Old Broad Street and Ropemaker Place shows that the majority of lettings tend to be signed-up after the development has been completed. In general, only a small proportion of a tower’s floorspace is pre-let before completion. However, the experience of the recent letting of 17,744 sq m (191,000 sq ft) to Aon at the Leadenhall Building may indicate a more active pre-let market than previously for the new London towers.

An analysis of the occupiers of recently completed towers shows that the major share (51%) is taken-up by financial services with professional services (including law), in second place (23%). With the just two sectors accounting for 74% of deals done it is no wonder that these are the main targets for developers and their agents. .



An unusual ‘bulge’ of lease expiry and breaks due in the period 2013-15 has partly contributed to developers enthusiasm in starting new schemes in the last few months; and in-turn this has led to developers with refurbishment schemes to also leap into competitive starts to achieve completion before the towers come on-stream.

The future of the next generation of towers will depend on attitude of the 200 medium to large office occupiers in the City of London now actively looking for space, or with lease expiries due in the next four years. If occupiers show the same enthusiasm for high-rise working as those firms moving in the previous office cycle, then the new towers coming to the London skyline will succeed. it will just take a little time.

Andy King
Director
CityOffices.net

- (20-05-2011)

Add to portfolio

West End tops ranking

London's West End seems to have become the most expensive office space in the world, according to Knight Frank's latest global real estate research on 105 cities. The West End topped £85 per sq ft in late 2010, a 31% increase from the start of the year. This was ahead of the £83.67 per sq ft in Tokyo, which is seeing falling rent levels. The City of London was in 7th place, up from 12th place, with prime office rents of £55 per sq ft. - (04-05-2011)

Add to portfolio

March lettings fall back

Office lettings in Central London in March 2011 reached 700,000 sq ft, a little below recent monthly averages. Some 51 deals over 5,000 sq ft were reported. There was a fairly even split between the City and the West End with the biggest transaction the 112,000 sq ft letting to NBC Universal at Central St Giles. - (29-04-2011)

Add to portfolio

London: 30 new office schemes in Q1

London Springs Forward

The first quarter of 2011 marked the beginning of a new cycle in London’s office construction. Since January 2011, Cityoffices research has revealed that 30 new office schemes have seen starts on demolition and construction work. Schemes such as Africa House, Howick Place, Grosvenor Hill, and 20 Fenchurch Street (full list at cityoffices.net) are just some of those now underway. When completed, these schemes will add over 5.5m sq ft to London’s available office space.

These 30 schemes appear to be speculative as none of the developers has yet announced a pre-let; although 30,000 sq ft is rumoured to be under offer at Waterhouse Square.

It is possible that the start on the two towers; 20 Fenchurch Street, by Land Securities, and the Leadenhall Building, by British Land, both in EC3, may have prompted other developers to get schemes underway and completed before the two towers are on-stream in 2014.

Almost half the new developments underway are refurbishments. Many of these refurbishments do not require planning permission and are being bought forward quickly for the period 2011 to 2014 to meet a perceived short-term ‘gap’ in office supply.



These refurbishments include the upgrading of former premises of large companies which have recently moved into new developments. Examples include the former Cancer UK HQ at 40 Kingsway, WC2, and the former DEFRA building in Page Street, SW1.

Our research shows that a further tranche of construction should be underway in the second quarter of 2011, with a number of developers now appointing construction teams and initiating archaeological digs in advance of spring/summer starts. CityOffices is now monitoring over 100 office schemes in central London that could start this year. - (12-04-2011)

Add to portfolio

Developer stepping up programme

Great Portland Estates is planning to raise £160m via the international bond markets to fund its development and investment programme in central London. The property company, which has four London office schemes underway, is understood to be planning to sell two tranches of seven-year and ten-year bonds. - (08-04-2011)

Add to portfolio

February 2011 London lettings

Central London recorded just under 800,000 sq ft of office transactions in 60 medium/large deals in February 2011. Although the City had the largest share with 40% of space transacted, there were relatively few lettings of brand new grade A space. It was a quiet month for financial services with more space let to professional firms. - (18-03-2011)

Add to portfolio

London Bounces Back – The central London Fit Out Market 2006-2010

Launched at MIPIM 2011. The analysis identifies the Top 10 interior firms, architects, fit out contractors, and project managers involved with projects between 2006 and 2010. - (09-03-2011)

Add to portfolio

Office Futures: London, Paris, Frankfurt

London looks set to trounce Paris (and Frankfurt) in terms of office development activity over the next three years, which is bound to rekindle old rivalries. Hopefully this ‘win’ will be repeated in this weeks England v France game, and the findings set the scene for a lively MIPIM property event in Cannes.

London and Paris have both seen a substantial contraction in the levels of office development over the last two-years and an upsurge in office take-up in 2010, which has eaten into available space.

London is heading for a sharp revival in office completions from 2012 onwards, while the Paris market appears to be looking at a slower recovery at the moment. In Frankfurt, like most other European cities, office completions peaked in 2010 and a continued slowing over the next two years is anticipated.

This London revival is in contrast to the start of the last property cycle, which saw major office developments in Paris kick-off at least nine-month before London. This time around London is ahead, and at least eight major office schemes are expected to start construction by spring 2011.

Any reports of new office construction in central Paris are sparse at present, although office shortages will develop and lead to an increase in development activity, particularly refurbishment. In Frankfurt there is an oversupply of new office space and the high proportion of vacant (and unlettable) older space means refurbishment, rather than new build, is likely in the short-term.

Looking ahead, we foresee that the development cycle in London will prove to be about 12 months ahead of Paris, with construction activity rising sharply in London in 2011, followed by the start of an upswing in Paris in 2012.

The predicted levels of office development activity to 2013 are however, still relatively low, and likely to produce a severe demand and supply imbalance (for quality space) in both London and Paris. It is expected that development activity will continue to increase to meet demand, with the peak of the next development boom being 2014-2015.






- (22-02-2011)

Add to portfolio

January take-up slips

Central London office take-up in January 2011 slipped a little to 700,000 sq ft, after a strong December. The City accounted for nearly half the monthly total, while grade A transactions only reached 135,000 sq ft. Major deals were signed with Kroll, Friends Provident and Chicago Mercantile. - (16-02-2011)

Add to portfolio

West End HQ nears completion

The new Greater London Magistrates Court Authority building is due for completion in summer 2011. The £50m, 9,700 sq m (104,410 sq ft) building designed by architect Hurd Roland Partnership is at the junction of Seymour Place and Marylebone Road, London, NW1 is approaching shell and core completion. Laing O’Rourke is the main contractor. - (04-02-2011)

Add to portfolio

Surge in London Office Development

London Office Prospects 2011: 75m sq ft of lease expiry hopes drives market forward

A surge in London office development is coming, with major office buildings planned to come on-stream in 2012-2015 to meet an anticipated increase in demand.

This demand is expected to come from those occupiers, which took space in the mid 1980’s boom and early 1990’s, with leases coming to an end on what is now outdated space.

Our research on occupier ‘moves’ in central London indicates a potential of up to 17m sq ft of lease renewals due in 2011, and an average of about 15m sq ft a year of lease expiries a year up to 2015.

The question is “How much of this lease expiry-led ‘demand’ will result in new space being taken-up?”

The London office market is fairly consistent on office space take-up with the average being about 10m sq ft a year over the last decade. In these terms 2010 was above average with over 11m sq ft of office space taken-up, the majority in large pre-lets.

If half of lease expiries (say 7.5m sq ft) each year actually turned into office ‘moves’, this would then mean a further 2.5m+ sq ft of office demand would have to come from existing occupier expansion and new ‘start-ups’ to achieve even the average for annual take-up.

This would then mean occupiers would be renewing leases on around 7.5m sq ft of office space each year with the potential for refurbishment deals. In addition the 7.5m sq ft (or possibly more) of office space vacated by ‘movers’ could be returned to building owners and would need to be upgraded for letting.

To meet the expected lease expiry-led office demand a substantial supply of new Grade A development is needed in 2011, which is not going to arrive. Those occupiers with imminent lease expiries will be unable to find prime new office space and will therefore postpone moves, increasingly turn to pre-lets, or remain ‘in-situ’ and refurbish.

In 2011 development starts will be numerous (30+ is possible) but take-up is expected to be down on 2010 levels and the majority deals are likely to be smaller, perhaps under 4,645 sq m (50,000 sq ft).

The ‘volume’ of deals done in late 2010, combined with about 46,450 sq m (500,000 sq ft) of office space now under offer, will carry the fit-out market through to summer 2011. The office market will then become one of refurbishment and restacking until a new wave of occupiers starts to take up the developments coming on-stream from late 2012 onwards.





- (01-02-2011)

Add to portfolio

Victoria scheme start

Doughty Hanson and Terrace Hill Group have appointed contractor Kier to build offices and flats at Howick Place in London Victoria, SW1. Demolition of existing buildings is nearly complete and Kier is due to start work on the 280,000 sq ft One Howick Place scheme shortly. The mixed-use redevelopment will include offices, alongside 33 apartments and ground floor retail space. Rolfe Judd is the designer. - (27-01-2011)

Add to portfolio

City tower underway

Construction of Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group's “Walkie Talkie” building has finally got underway at 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3. Piling for the Rafael Viñoly designed building has begun with completion to ground floor planned for February 2012 and final completion anticipated in early 2014. When complete, the 37 storey building will provide 690,000 sq ft grade A office space in the City of London, topped by a public sky garden. Canary Wharf Contractors Limited, is the construction manager. - (19-01-2011)

Add to portfolio

Christmas 2010: 22% More Christmas Cheer - Official!

London office deals in 2010 are now 22% up - in terms of space taken - on last Christmas. CityOffices research has identified just over 11.1m sq ft of office deals in central London this year. This is the first rise in deals-done since take-up peaked in 2007. Recent pre-lets to Bloomberg, BNP Paribas and JP Morgan, have helped drive a strong final quarter of this year.

The take-up of Grade A recently constructed or refurbished space also shows a slight increase by 10%. Deals signed on prime space in central London account for 4.2m sq ft in 2010, compared to 3.8m sq ft in 2009.

The City of London has dominated deals this year accounting for 5.1m sq ft, or 46%, of total take-up. The West End saw just 1.8m, or 16%, of deals signed, with the remainder of lettings mainly focused on Docklands and ‘fringe’ locations.

Financial services came back strongly in 2010 and accounted for over 44% of space let. The next best performing sectors are professional services, media, and insurance, which together took 25% of space let.



The late surge in deals this year, and the large amount of space expected to be signed up in early 2011, means that the London fit-out market will be strong in the first half of next year. After that a reduction in available prime office space, and increasing rents, may lead to occupiers pre-letting, or undertaking short-term refurbishment and re-stacking, to await the next ‘wave’ of office buildings due to arrive in 2013.

So it looks like a Merry Christmas for all

Our best wishes for a prosperous 2011

The CityOffices team. - (24-12-2010)

Add to portfolio

Contractors tipped for City tower

Six major office scheme contractors are tipped to be competing to build British Land's £340 million 'Cheese grater' building in Leadenhall Building in Leadenhall Street, London, EC3. Mace, Skanska, Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend Lease, Balfour Beatty and Sir Robert McAlpine have been identified as front-runners for the project. - (17-12-2010)

Add to portfolio

November take-up

London's November office lettings bounced back after a quiet October to record 1.1 million sq ft let in the month. However, much of the improvement was down to the 430,000 sq ft prelet to BNP Paribas at Kings Cross. Elsewhere the City was relatively quiet and it was Midtown which took up some of the slack with over 160,000 sq ft of deals. Lettings to Exane and Bain in Mayfair bolstered the west end. - (16-12-2010)

Add to portfolio

October take-up

October central London office lettings totalled 657,000 sq ft - a fall on recent months. Grade A lettings made up about half the total with 312,000 sq ft. The media sector made a strong showing in October, bouyed by Mindshare's 77,000 sq ft deal at Central St Giles. - (26-11-2010)

Add to portfolio

London Offices – 2011, Looking Up

The central London property market seems to be at a turning point in terms of construction activity. It would seem that we are at the start of the next development cycle, with the prospect of major office projects starting in 2011.

CityOffices constantly reviews London’s office development projects. The latest ‘Skyline Monitor’ shows that a total of 11 schemes started on site during summer 2010. Schemes such as The Pinnacle in the City, 62 Buckingham Gate, SW1, and Park House in Oxford Street, W1, added a further 1.3m sq ft to office space under construction.

The current total office space under construction in London is 4.2m sq ft, comprising 2.4m in the City; 1.1m sq ft in the West End, 600,000 sq ft on the Southbank and 130,000 sq ft in Midtown.

The 4.2m under construction at present is low when compared to the 13m sq ft under construction two years ago, but does compares favourably with the mere five office schemes started this time last year.

This summer nearly 5.8m sq ft of offices were completed in schemes such as Minerva’s St Botolphs building, EC3; Derwent’s Angel Building, EC1; and Standard Life’s 95 Gresham Street, EC2. A number of lettings have been secured in these buildings and currently half of the 5.8m sq ft has been let, in line with the overall sharp reduction in prime office space available in central London.

CityOffices has identified 21 London office projects where demolition is either underway or the site has been cleared. It is anticipated that starts on around half of these before Christmas 2010, which could result in a further 1.5m sq ft of offices under construction by the New Year.



Looking forward to 2011, Cityoffices is currently tracking 110 office schemes in central London totaling over 22m sq ft, which have planning permission, and where the developer is thought to be considering a start in 2011. The short-list of developers lining up schemes to start next year includes British Land, Land Securities, Great Portland Estates, Helical Bar, and Exemplar.

The reason behind the increasing activity in central London is that Grade A office space availability is expected to hit a low point in late 2014 and rents are already rising to reflect shortages of prime space. Developers are keen to catch the next property ‘wave’ before it peaks and are trying to push ahead with developments. In reality not all these schemes will start but Cityoffices is tracking them all to identify the ‘winning’ development teams. - (19-11-2010)

Add to portfolio

Shard letting agents

London Bridge Quarter has announced the appointment of office letting agents for both the Shard and London Bridge Place, London, SE1. Jones Lang LaSalle and Knight Frank have been instructed on the Shard, and CB Richard Ellis and Colliers International advising on London Bridge Place. - (16-11-2010)

Add to portfolio

Top Architects 2000 - 2020

Over the last decade CityOffices.net has monitored office developments in central London. Our knowledge of past and future projects, and the development teams involved, allows us to provide a profile of the key market players.

This analysis of the Top Architects in London is based on office developments completed in the last 10 year and any under construction. The future ‘view’ on projects is based on our research into schemes with planning permission or at the pre planning stage.

The total amount of office space completed in central London over the last 10 years amounts to nearly 6.1m sq m (66m sq ft), with about 372,000 sq m (4m sq ft) currently under construction. This gives an average build rate of 585,280 sq m (6.3m sq ft) of new office space a year in central London.

Future potential office projects, where architects are appointed, amount to around 6.5m sq m (70m sq ft), certainly enough space for the next 10 years.


The Last Decade

The Top 10 Architects for office space built over the last 10 years have created about 3.3m sq m (36m sq ft) of new buildings. The clear leader is Foster + Partners with about 800,000 sq m (8.6m sq ft), or 24% market share, followed by KPF with 490,000 sq m (5.2m sq ft), or (14%).

The mid ranking is fairly close run between SOM, Sheppard Robson, Pelli Clarke Pelli and HOK, with an average of around 320,000 sq m (3.4m sq ft) of developments.

The last four architect places in the ranking account for around 180,000 sq m (2m sq ft) of projects each, and the position of these firms in future ranking could be threatened by rivals over the next few years.


Top Architects (London) 2000 - 2010 (Built Office Space)

1 Foster + Partners (24%)
2 Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) (14%)
3 Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) (11%)
4 Sheppard Robson (11%)
5 Pelli Clarke Pelli (10%)
6 HOK (8%)
7 Sidell Gibson (6%)
8 Rolfe Judd (6%)
9 EPR (5%)
10 Fletcher Priest (5%)



The Future!

The analysis of future office projects in central London shows the changing fortunes of firms. Although it must be said that until developments actually start on site architects can, and do, get changed!

On future office projects we are looking at nearly 3m sq m (30m sq ft) over the next property cycle (or two), so 2011 and beyond.

The ranking shows those firms set to lead design into the next decade.


Top 10 London Architects (London) - Future Office Buildings

1 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (16%)
2 Pelli Clarke Pelli (14%)
3 Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) (14%)
4 Foster + Partners (13%)
5 Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) (11%)
6 MAKE Architects (9%)
7 Wilkinson Eyre (8%)
8 Foreign Office Architects (FOA) (5%)
9 Allies & Morrison (5%)
10 Sheppard Robson (5%)


Interestingly Rogers Stirk Harbour comes in at No1 in the ranking having been absent from the ‘past’ ranking. The firm’s 450,000 sq m (5m sq ft), or 16% of ‘future’ market share, is based around some major Docklands projects.

The next four places in the ranking (2-5) sees a reshuffle of firms from the ‘past’ ranking, reflecting the positions held over the last 10 years.

The lower end of the ‘future’ ranking is mostly newcomers to the Top 10. MAKE Architects, Wilkinson Eyre, Foreign Office Architects, and Allies & Morrison, account for 748,000 sq m (8m sq ft) of projects, as they look to increase their share of development activity in the London office market.

These ‘newcomers’ could now be set to overtake those firms established in the Top 10 of the past decade. However, that ‘overtaking’ relies on the developments progressing and the architect managing to stay on the project.

Andy King
CityOffices.net
20.10.10

Notes:
All office development details available at www.cityoffices.net
The rankings include all office schemes over 1,858 sq m (20,000 sq ft).
A Top 20 Architect (Built Office Space) list is available on request.

- (05-11-2010)

Add to portfolio

Office tower deal

Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group have formed the 20 Fenchurch Street Limited Partnership, a 50:50 joint venture to develop the Walkie Talkie office building in the City of London, at a development cost of £500m. The site has been sold by Land Securities to the Partnership for £90.2 million and will provide 690,000 sq ft of office space in EC3. Construction will begin in 2011 with Canary Wharf Contractors appointed as Construction Manager. - (19-10-2010)

Add to portfolio

Deals rise in September

Some 68 office deals over 5,000 sq ft were agreed in central London in September 2010. The total space let topped 1 million sq ft - one of the best months of the year so far. Over 276,000 sq ft of new transactions involved was new grade A space. Rents rose slightly. Leases averaged 9 years. - (14-10-2010)

Add to portfolio

August take-up rise

August office lettings in central London amounted to 1.2 million sq ft according to research by Cityoffices. The total was helped by the sizeable 700,000 sq ft pre-let at 4 Broadgate, EC2 to UBS. Elsewhere, the market was quiet and only 28 lettings over 5,000 sq ft were recorded. - (15-09-2010)

Add to portfolio

As cranes disappear ...

As cranes disappear from office development sites in central London the question is what are the triggers needed to start the next cycle of development. This comes down to supply and demand.

In the first half of 2010 take-up in central London was a healthy 5.7m sq ft, slightly up on the 5.6m sq ft of deals done in the second half of 2009 and comfortably ahead of the 3.2m sq ft of deals recorded in the first half of 2009.

The financial services sector has the most active with nearly 2m sq ft of office space taken up, followed by 690,000 sq ft taken by professional services firms and 330,000 sq ft by insurance companies.

In terms of area the City of London accounted for nearly 2.6m sq ft of the office space taken up, with Midtown take-up being 1m sq ft, and the take up in Docklands 700,000 sq ft. The West End managed a relatively slender 1.3m sq ft of space taken.

New requirements for office space in central London during the first half of 2010, amounted to around 4.1m sq ft, just ahead of levels in 2009.

So far in the second half of 2010 office deals continue apace as firms take advantage of rent deals. However, for the few remaining ‘iconic’ office buildings In the City of London and West End rents now seem to be be on an upward path.

The amount of available Grade A (newly completed or refurbished) office space in central London peaked in autumn 2009, with 12m sq ft being available in the City and 8m sq ft in the West End. Since then the take up of office space has reduced by 17%, with the amount of space available being 9.5m sq ft in the City and 7.5m in the West End. In total this is gives an availability to stock ratio of just over 7%, a fairly healthy level, when a ‘normal’ market is seen as being a ratio of 5%.

A reducing amount of office space, prospects of rising rents, and demand holding up, are the key signals for office construction starting again. Developers are already busy dusting off plans and clearing sites in anticipation of starts in 2011. The only thing holding things back may be development finance.

Andy King

Subscribe now - (10-09-2010)

Add to portfolio

Office tower talks

Land Securities is now believed to be in talks with Songbird subsidary Canary Wharf Group to be the development partner and contractor for its 'Walkie Talkie' office tower scheme at 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3. The 660,000 sq ft mixed use development is expected to be complete by 2014. - (09-09-2010)

Add to portfolio

West End letting

Linkedin, the US business social networking site, is taking the 687 sq m (7,400 sq ft) first floor of Derwent London's recently completed Charlotte Building in Gresse Street, London, W1. The rent agreed is thought to be about £511.29 pre sq m (£47.50 per sq ft). The lease is understood to expire in 2020, with a break option in 2015. - (02-09-2010)

Add to portfolio

June lettings rise

Central London office lettings in June 2010 rose to nearly 940,000 sq ft in 38 deals of 5,000 sq ft and over. This brings London take-up for the first 6 months of 2010 to 5.7 million sq ft, matching the last half of 2009 and a 60% rise on the first 6 months of 2009. - (06-08-2010)

Add to portfolio

Lettings in Land Securities buildings

News International is taking 5,110 sq m (55,000 sq ft) of offices on the ground, first, fourth and fifth floors at Land Securities' 2 Thomas More Square and 1,400 sq m (15,000 sq ft) on the 14th floor of 3 Thomas More Square, both in London, E1. The leases run to 2020. These deals take total occupancy in Thomas More Square to just under 99% with News International occupancy at Thomas More Square over 260,000 sq ft. - (29-07-2010)

Add to portfolio

May take-up increase

London office lettings in May 2010 reached 950,000 sq ft, after a return to the levels seen earlier this year. The total was underpinned by a 185,000 sq ft letting to Shell at Canary Wharf. Elsewhere the City is currently outstripping the west end and letting activity is picking up in Midtown. Figures compiled by Cityoffices.net - (06-07-2010)

Add to portfolio

Can of Spam consent

Targetfollow has gained revised consent for its planned 22-storey office development with retail at ground level, at 60-70 St Mary Axe, London, EC3. The building is being nicknamed "Can of Spam" because of its shape. The architect is Foggo Associates for the 39,166 sq m (421,582 sq ft) gross or 27,870 sq m (300,000 sq ft) net, island scheme. A start is not expected until 2011 or 2012. DP9 is the planning consultant. DTZ is advising on the development. - (02-07-2010)

Add to portfolio

Approval for west end tower

Portman Estate has gained London Mayor's approval for its demolition of the 7,636 sq m (82,200 sq ft) Marble Arch House at 32-50 Edgware Road, London, W2 and its replacement with a 9,940 sq m (107,000 sq ft) tower with retail on the ground floor and offices above. The architect is Bennetts Associates. - (01-07-2010)

Add to portfolio

April figures show slowing

Total office take-up in central London in April fell back to 600,000 sq ft, from an average of over 1m sq ft in the first 3 months of the year, according to figures from Metroinfo. Lettings of new office space held up well at 220,000 sq ft. But a shortage of secondhand and west end deals in the run-up to the election had an impact. - (10-06-2010)

Add to portfolio

Broadgate HQ plan

British Land has confirmed press reports that it is planning a new headquarters for UBS covering around 65,000 sq m (700,000 sq ft) at its Broadgate, London, EC2 site, on the site of existing UBS buildings number 4 and 6. The scheme is expected to cost £175m. The new HQ is expected to be completed in 2014. - (19-05-2010)

Add to portfolio

Lettings maintain momentum

Central London office lettings maintained their momentum in March 2010, with nearly 1.1m sq ft transacted. March was the fifth successive month when office take-up has topped 1m sq ft. The City accounted for nearly 500,000 sq ft, whilst a spate of large lettings around the NW1 postcode, in particular at British Land's Regent Place scheme, helped boost the west end. - (28-04-2010)

Add to portfolio

Tower topped out

110 Bishopsgate a.k.a Heron Tower, the 46 storey, 230m high, building that will provide 40,836 sq m (439,560 sq ft) of grade A office space close to Liverpool Street Station, London, EC3 was topped out today. Heron International, will complete the tower in March 2011, when in addition to the office space the building will also provide apartments, restaurants and skybar. Heron chief executive Gerald Ronson said "I believe that Heron Tower has come to market at the right time.” - (12-04-2010)

Add to portfolio

Cheesegrater revival

British Land, developer of 'The Cheesegrater', otherwise known as the Leadenhall Building at 122 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3, one of the tallest towers planned for the City of London before the recession, say it it is thinking about beginning construction of the 47-storey Richard Rogers designed tower. British Land said it was “thinking pretty seriously” about reviving the project, which will provide 82,721 sq m (890,409 sq ft) of office space 56,856 sq m (612,000 sq ft net) and 2,150 sq m (23,142 sq ft) of retail space. - (01-04-2010)

Add to portfolio

London lettings surge again

Central London office lettings topped 1m sq ft again in February 2010, continuing the positive trend of the last six months. Although only 30 deals over 5,000 sq ft were signed, large lettings to Shell, LOCOG and Stephenson Harwood, pushed the total into seven figures again. Just over 100,000 sq ft was new, grade A, space. - (25-03-2010)

Add to portfolio

Major scheme launch

Legal & General is launching its 500,000 sq ft Renzo Piano-designed Central St Giles office scheme in London, WC2, at MIPIM 2010. The scheme includes 400,000 sq ft of offices, with large office floors of 43,000 sq ft, plus 109 apartments and retail. Letting agents are Jones Lang LaSalle and Cushman & Wakefield. - (16-03-2010)

Add to portfolio

Search for City tower sites

Brookfield, the Toronto-based developer and contractor, is seeking a City of London site to build another office tower, following its role on the Pinnacle, this time as developer. A shortage of prime office space may push rents back to their 2007 peak in three years, according to King Sturge. The company’s development unit has seen some “interesting opportunities” for an office building in the City of London, according to James Tuckey, chairman of Brookfield’s European arm. - (11-03-2010)

Add to portfolio

Office lettings continue surge

Office lettings in central London in January 2010 topped 1.2m sq ft, according to figures from Cityoffices and Metroinfo. Some 60 deals over 5,000 sq ft were signed, including two large deals to Macquarie Bank and Blackrock. The insurance sector was particularly active. Over half (600,000 sq ft) of the office space let was recently completed, further shrinking the availability of new office floorspace. Rents edged higher. - (24-02-2010)

Add to portfolio

Embassy design unveiled

The US Government has appointed architect Kieran Timberlake to design its new £324m embassy at Nine Elms, Battersea, London, SE11. The winning design is a glazed box on a colonnade and crystalline second skin. The size is expected to be about 46,450 sq m (500,000 sq ft). The anticipated ground breaking is in 2013 with completion in 2017. - (24-02-2010)

Add to portfolio

Overspend on HQ

The BBC has admitted that it has gone nearly £60m over budget on its £1bn redevelopment of Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1. Most of the mistakes occured during phase 1 to 2004. The new HQ will become the new home to BBC News and Radio, including the World Service at the end of 2010. Around 4,500 staff are expected to relocate to Broadcasting House in the next year. - (24-02-2010)

Add to portfolio

Macquarie to move HQ to Ropemaker

Macquarie Bank, the Australian investment bank, is understood to have agreed to take 20,160 sq m (217,000 sq ft) offices at British Land's Ropemaker Place in the City of London for its 1000 London staff. Terms are undisclosed. Macquarie was close to letting Drapers Gardens last year has been outbid by Blackrock. The bank has a lease expiry at City Point in 2011. Ropemaker Place is now almost 80 percent let. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities leased almost 230,000 sq ft in the building last year. - (12-02-2010)

Add to portfolio

Grade A space boosts London lettings

End of year figures from Metropolis/Cityoffices show that total London lettings reached 9.3m sq ft in 2009. Despite a strong end to the year this was 20% down on 2008's total. The City totalled 4.3m sq ft, Midtown reached 1.5m sq ft and the West End was 2.1m sq ft. New Grade A space lettings reached 3.8m sq ft - 41% of all take-up, a major rise on 2008's 2.5m sq ft or 20%. Financial Services and professional topped the business sectors table. - (28-01-2010)

Add to portfolio

Hedge fund growth to boost Mayfair

Hedge Fund Research has revealed the industry has enjoyed its biggest gains in a decade in 2009 and Toscafund is predicting 100,000 extra London financial jobs by 2020. New launches by SAC Capital, Tyrus Capital and CIFM are bolstering Mayfair offices. - (27-01-2010)

Add to portfolio

Record breaking December

Research by Cityoffices reveals that a record-breaking 74 London office move deals over 5,000 sq ft were agreed in December 2009, totalling 1.8m sq ft. The City saw 800,000 sq ft of deals and Docklands saw 500,000 sq ft of lettings. Nearly 50% of transactions were for new Grade A space requiring extensive fit-out. Average rents were £40 psf and rent free periods averaged a little under two years. - (21-01-2010)

Add to portfolio

Developer schedules three schemes for 2010

Land Securities plan to start work on three West End office developments in 2010 with the intention of completion in 2013. The developer is looking to start Park House in London W1, Selborne House in SW1 and possibly Victoria Interchange. Park House includes more than 100,000 sq ft of retail and 160,000 sq ft of office space. Selborne House is close to Parliament. Land Securities is prepared to build both without pre-lets, ahead of likely completion in 2013. - (14-01-2010)

Add to portfolio

Bishops Place approved

Hammerson has had its Bishops Place regeneration project approved yesterday by LB Hackney. The revised scheme includes 233 Shoreditch High Street (the Light Bar building) and relates to a 1.3ha (3 acre) site in London, E1. The 1.5m sq ft project, designed by Foster + Partners, will include about 59,922 sq m (645,000 sq ft) of offices, a hotel, residential, and retail space. - (05-11-2009)

Add to portfolio

City pre-let

Macquarie Bank, the Australian bank, has now signed to take 19,509 sq m (210,000 sq ft) offices on the lower, ground and most upper floors at Exemplar's, under construction, Drapers Gardens office scheme at 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2. Macquarie will relocate from City Point where its lease expire in 2011. Macquarie will pay about £43 a sq ft on a 20-year lease, with four years rent-free. - (30-10-2009)

Add to portfolio

City rents up in 2010

City of London office rents are forecast to rise in 2010 with London leading the European property cycle according to the latest market report from DTZ. Prime City rents are expected to rise by 8% next year but rents in other Euroepan cities are expected to fall further. DTZ has upgraded its previous forecast for the London office market to reflect current optimism and the view that this might be the start of the next property cycle. - (14-10-2009)

Add to portfolio

Mayor backs Institute scheme

The London mayor has backed the £150m refurbishment of the 9,300 sq m (100,000 sq ft) former Commonwealth Institute in High Street Kensington, London, W8. The refurbishment will include space for the Design Museum and three new residential blocks by Chelsfield. The architects for the Parabola scheme are Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf of OMA. Further negotiations will be needed before work can start. - (19-06-2009)

Add to portfolio

London survey looks forward

The latest Drivers Jonas Crane Survey, researched by Cityoffices.net, has found that despite 10.3m sq ft under construction (of which 7.15m sq ft is available to let) there were only six significant starts in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009. There are 30 buildings available to let at the moment of greater than 100,000 sq ft. DJ said developers should expect more prelets in 2010-11 for completion in 2013. Tenant’s choices will be reduced over the next few years. In addition short-term lease extensions being agreed now could generate further demand. - (11-06-2009)

Add to portfolio

Stanhope win Noho

Stanhope is now the developer of the NoHo Square scheme in Mortimer Street, London, W1. The 1.3ha (3 acre) NoHo site was owned by Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank, but a £50m deal will see Stanhope in control of a joint venture. It is thought that Kaupthing will write off £200m of debt on the project. The planned 82,776 sq m (891,000 sq ft) of luxury apartments and 32,980 sq m (355,000 sq ft) of offices is expected to be redesigned with a media industry focus. - (21-03-2009)

Add to portfolio

Can of Spam consent

Targetfollow has gained consent for its planned 22-storey office tower with retail at ground level, at 60-70 St Mary Axe, London, EC3. The building is being nicknamed "Can of Spam" because of its shape. The architect is Foggo Associates for the 39,166 sq m (421,582 sq ft) gross or 27,870 sq m (300,000 sq ft) net, island scheme. Finance has yet to be secured. A start is not expected until 2010. DP9 is planning consultant. DTZ is advising on the development. - (19-12-2008)

Add to portfolio

Aldgate East stops

The construction of Formation’s "Aldgate East”, at 1 Commercial Street and 101-110 Whitechapel High Street, London E1, has stopped. The building has reached concrete frame stage up to 11 storeys but its future is now being decided by administrators Ernst & Young. The development is planned as a 22 storey tower with about 8,640 sq m (93,000 sq ft) of office space, 217 residential units, and 1,068 sq m (11,500 sq ft) of retail space. The Formation Group, the sports talent manager, is understood to have raised a £93m loan for the land and building work from Heritable, part of Landesbanki, the failed Icelandic bank. As part of the deal Formation agreed to underwrite £11.6m of the loan, which now becomes a liability. Completion was planned for May 2010. - (18-12-2008)

Add to portfolio

Mayfair scheme for March 2009

Completion of D2 Private's 9,300 sq m (100,000 sq ft) speculative office building at 23 Savile Row, Mayfair, London, W1, designed by Eric Parry Architects, is expected in March 2009. The development manager of the scheme, which also has retail on the ground floor and six flats on the top two floors, is Stanhope. Mace is the main contractor at the old English Heritage Fortress House HQ. - (05-12-2008)

Add to portfolio

Derwent call halt

Derwent London, the property developer, has said that it is not planning to start any new commercial developments until 2010 or 2011. The company has made the decision because of the credit crunch and the fall in occupier requirements for new space. Derwent has three buildings under construction and has let 408,000 sq ft in the last nine months, and has a further 35,000 sq ft of office space under offer. John Burns, chief executive, has said that the next two years are about "good housekeeping" and his comments mirror those expressed by Great Portland Estates, Hammerson and Liberty International. - (20-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

JP Morgan pre-let deal

JP Morgan, the US investment bank, has announced a £237m deal to acquire a 999 year lease from Canary Wharf Group (CWG) on the Riverside South site at Canary Wharf, London, E14. The site has planning permission for 1.8m sq ft of office space in two towers and a ‘link’ building. Infrastructure work is underway but JP Morgan is still finalising the design of the buildings and will occupy in phases. The building will be the headquarters for all the banks European operations and could be completed in 2012 or 2013. CWG will act as development and construction manager. CWG will complete the design, planning, piling and raft construction and the bank will, subject to market conditions, decide when to instruct CWG to proceed with final construction. If construction of the building is postponed, or put off altogether, CWG will be paid for completed work and also retain £76m representing a portion of developers profits related to the development. - (18-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

Developers freeze projects

Great Portland Estates has said that it is putting new developments on hold until the end of 2010 at the earliest and maybe later. Toby Courtauld, chief executive, sees “a significant downturn and the demand side has deteriorated quite strongly”; He has commented that there has been a 66% fall in active demand in the West End of London over the past six months, and this is seen as continuing. The company priorities are now capital conservation, maximizing occupancy levels and crystallizing reversions. Hammerson and Liberty International have also delayed development activity and put major developments on hold in 2009. - (15-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

City scheme close to completion

Lancaster Holdings, part of Warner Estates, is well underway with the refurbishment of the 5,300 sq m (57,000 sq ft) Cable House office building at 60 New Broad Street, London, EC2. Completion is expected in December 2008 and Montagu Evans is the letting agent. - (14-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

City scheme consent

LMS (City Road), part of Derwent London, has gained consent on appeal for the redevelopment of its City Road Estate in London, EC1, including 80-100 City Road. The proposal includes approximately 10,219 sq m (110,000 sq ft) of offices, 930 sq m (10,000 sq ft) of retail and 250 residential units within a 45-storey tower. Squire and Partners is the architect. - (14-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

New architect for Smithfield

Thornfield Properties has appointed a new architecture team to redesign its plans for Smithfield Market in the City of London. Architect Kohn Pederson Fox has been replaced by John McAslan & Partners. Plans by KPF were rejected in August 2008 by Secretary of State Hazel Blears. Revised plans will be submitted shortly. - (11-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

Southwark offices inquiry

A public inquiry has been ordered into P&O and Morgan Stanley Real Estate's proposed 1.43m sq ft redevelopment of Elizabeth House in London, SE1. The ‘Three Sisters’ scheme proposes two office towers, totalling almost 1.2m sq ft and reaching up to 22 storeys and a 33 storey, 277,500 sq ft residential tower. The inquiry will focus on the 'appropriateness of tall towers at this location'. Completion was planned for 2011. - (07-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

Wood Wharf outline approved

Wood Wharf Limited Partnership, comprising British Waterways, Canary Wharf Group and Ballymore Properties, has had its outline planning application for the development approved. The plans for the 7ha (17 acre) Wood Wharf site in London, E14, include 455,221 sq m (4.9m) sq ft of offies, retail and leisure space and 1,668 apartments. The scheme includes a £50m S106 agreement and a £100m contribution to Crossrail. Wood Wharf will be developed as four phases. Reserved matters on Phase 1 will be submitted in 2009. - (06-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

NoHo no go!

CPC Group, the Candy & Candy venture, has transferred its equity and share in the NoHo Square development in Mortimer Street, London, W1, to Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank, which now has 100% of the project. The 1.3ha (3 acre) NoHo site was planned to be redeveloped as a 82,776 sq m (891,000 sq ft) as luxury apartments and 32,980 sq m (355,000 sq ft) of offices but the scheme may now be redesigned. Candy & Candy will cease to be development managers on the project. The site is now said to be worth £120m (down from £175m) and the bank may now sell the site or seek a new development partner. - (04-11-2008)

Add to portfolio

City completion

ING Real Estate has completed its 1,548 sq m (16,667 sq ft) office refurbishment of the seven-storey office and retail building at 2-4 Eastcheap, London, EC3. Tuffin Ferraby Taylor advised. Cuffe was main contractor and the letting agent is King Sturge. - (15-02-2008)

Add to portfolio

Green light for Shard

Sellar Property is likely to start construction of the Shard tower in London, SE1 later in 2008, after a finance package was agreed with Qatari-backed consortium - the Qatari Islamic Investment bank QInvest, Qatar National Bank and Qatari Islamic Bank. Sellar will remain the developer for completion of Shard of Glass tower and 55,740 sq m (600,000 sq ft) New London Bridge House in 2011. The schemes were designed by Renzo Piano. Cushman & Wakefield advised on planning, and Mace is project manager. - (01-02-2008)

Add to portfolio

Pinnacle tower progress

Demolition at Arab Investment's site at 22-24 Bishopsgate, London, EC2 is due to complete in February 2008. Mace is project manager. Multiplex is to build the new £500m, 288m-high office tower which will be completed in 2010. - (15-01-2008)

Add to portfolio

November inquiry for EC1 scheme

The public inquiry to determine Thornfield Properties’ contentious 35,303 sq m (380,000 sq ft) office scheme at Smithfield market, London, EC1 will begin in November 2007. A successful outcome for Thornfield may prompt a 2008 construction start. - (26-10-2007)

Add to portfolio

Shard demolition plans

Teighmore, the consortium consisting of Sellar Property, CLS and Simon Halabi, is hoping to start demolition at the London Bridge Station (Shard of Glass) site in London, SE1, in mid October 2007. The demolition will take seven months. The main construction contract will not start until funding is in place but a Middle Eastern bank is said to be considering financing the £1bn scheme. Completion of the development is expected in 2010 or 2011. - (18-09-2007)

Add to portfolio

Work starts at Fetter Lane scheme

Construction work is underway at Delancey's speculative redevelopment of Bream’s Buildings and Rolls Buildings in Fetter Lane, London, EC4. 13,527 sq m (145,600 sq ft) on LG,G,1,2,3,4 floors has been pre-let to HM Courts Service, and 9,649 sq m (104,347 sq ft) remains available on 5,6,7,8 floors. The completed scheme will offer separate entrances for HM Courts Service on lower floors and the offices on upper floors. - (22-08-2007)

Add to portfolio

"Walkie Talkie" building approved

Land Securities, the developer, has won the planning inquiry into its planned £200m, 39-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3. The 160m high ‘Walkie Talkie’ scheme, looking a bit like a mobile phone, will provide 55,741 sq m (600,000 sq ft) of office space, 1,114 sq m (12,000 sq ft) of retail space and 3,716 sq m (40,000 sq ft) “Skyroom” function facility. There are also plans for a 1,745 sq m (18,783 sq ft) office next to the tower. Work on the development could start in late 2007 for 2010 completion. - (11-07-2007)

Add to portfolio

Record West End letting

BlueBay Asset Management, the alternative investment firm, has taken the remaining first, second and third floors of 3,344 sq m (36,000 sq ft) at Morley Fund Managements’ recently completed 77 Grosvenor Street, London, W1 at a record £117 psf. - (25-05-2007)

Add to portfolio

Demolition start at Central St Giles

Demolition work is underway at Legal & General and Stanhope's Central St Giles scheme in London WC2. The 37,522 sq m (403,883 sq ft) development will provide 37,160 sq m (400,000 sq ft) of offices, 100 apartments in two residential towers, ground floor retail space and two public squares. Completion is expected in october 2009. - (16-03-2007)

Add to portfolio

More view less towers

An interim report from the Department of Culture could lead to changes in the protected view lines for the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster. London's Unesco World Heritage Sites are seen as being in need of more stringent planning rules to protect them. Any move to extend view lines could be at odds with the Mayor of Londons support for tall buildings. The Government is undertaking a visual impact study to review the current London View Management Framework. Any changes to London view lines is certain to lead to a lively debate. - (15-02-2007)

Add to portfolio

Middlesex Hospital plans

Project Abbey, the consortium of investors led by Christian Candy, founder of Candy & Candy, is submitting a planning application for the redevelopment of the Middlesex Hospital site on Mortimer Street, London, W1. The 1.3ha (3 acre) NoHo site will be redeveloped into 273 apartments and a 32,980 sq m (355,000 sq ft) nine storey office building. - (14-02-2007)

Add to portfolio

Your chance to own Gherkin

The Gherkin (otherwise 30 St Mary Axe) in London, EC3, has been acquired by IVG Asticus, the German fund, and Evans Randall, the private investment bank, from Swiss Re for about £630m, and initial yield of around 4.25%. IVG is thought to be making its 50% stake open to private investors and Evans Randall will place its stake with institutional investors. Both firms are understood to be retaining a 10% stake. - (06-02-2007)

Add to portfolio