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Midtown deal

Midtown HQ to start

Midtown options

Midtown appointment

Midtown scheme start

Midtown refurb

Midtown consent

Revised Midtown scheme

Midtown appointment

Midtown start

Midtown scheme underway

Midtown scheme deal

Clerkenwell consent

Midtown consent

Midtown refurbishment

Midtown scheme under offer

Midtown application

Consent for Midtown scheme

Midtown refurbishment

Midtown scheme deal

Midtown scheme planned

Midtown scheme poised

Midtown start

Start for midtown scheme

Midtown site purchased

Midtown scheme letting

Midtown scheme deal

New midtown scheme

Letting for Midtown scheme

Midtown redevelopment plan

Midtown scheme to start

Progress on midtown scheme

Midtown site tipped

Midtown scheme poised

Midtown scheme to start

Midtown scheme consent

First tenant for Midtown scheme

Midtown application

Midtown scheme delay

Midtown scheme consent

New plan for Midtown scheme

Midtown refurbishment

Midtown refurbishment application

Midtown scheme rethink

Midtown scheme preparation

Camden office plan

Midtown scheme for 2010 start

Midtown start planned

Midtown application

Law deal for WC2

Midtown refurbishment start

Delay for Midtown scheme

Midtown start planned

Midtown application

Midtown green light

Midtown opportunity

Midtown revamp

Midtown permission

Midtown start

Midtown scheme underway

Midtown scheme designed

Midtown scheme letting

Midtown consent

Pre-let for Midtown refurbishment

Midtown scheme appeal

Midtown consent

Midtown start

Helical for Hammersmith

Consent for midtown offices

Midtown refurbishment plan

Collingwood House update

Midtown construction start

Midtown shortlist

Midtown site assembly

Midtown scheme tendering

Midtown appointment

Start for major Midtown refurbishment

Contractor for Midtown scheme

Major letting for new Midtown building

Midtown offices planned

Midtown refurbishment

Pre-let at Spectrum

LDA & Kajima granted planning permission

London powers ahead!

Mid town space sub-letting

Facelift for 100-year old Town Hall.

Holborn Town Hall scheme to start soon

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)

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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)

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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)

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Glasnost - Online Project, Contact & Image Management

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)

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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)

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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)

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'Gherkin' shortlisted for award

The Swiss Re building, otherwise known as the ‘Gherkin’, in the City of London, has been shortlisted for the first London Planning Awards. The awards, run jointly by London mayor Ken Livingstone, London First, and the Royal Town Planning Institute, aim to highlight outstanding planning achievements in London. The Swiss Re building was designed by Foster & Partners and submitted for the award by Montagu Evans. Paddington Waterside Partnership is on the shortlist for the best community or partnership initiative category. - (31-10-2003)

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Camden tube offices

London Underground has announced plans for a new tube station at Camden Town in London NW1. A planning application is to be submitted to the London Borough of Camden in the next few weeks. The proposal includes a seven-storey office building, a new bus interchange, a ticket hall and four blocks of flats. A temporary station will be built before the existing structure is demolished and rebuilt. - (10-11-2002)

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London Development Agency names developer

The London Development Agency (LDA) has appointed Kajima as the preferred developer to carry out the works on the largest brown field site in London. The Silvertown Quay consortium is set to develop the Silvertown Docks area in East London. The £800m scheme will provide offices, 3,000 homes, a hotel, school, shops and leisure facilities including an aquarium designed by architect Sir Terry Farrell. Works sre proposed to start at the end of 2002. The mixed-use site of 20ha (48 acres) at Silvertown Dock in Newham, London E16. The developer was selected from a shortlist comprising Bellway Homes, The Greater Silvertown Consortium with George Wimpey, St George, a joint venture called Silvertown Quays Limited, Kajima and a group which includes Taylor Woodrow Capital Developments. - (14-11-2001)

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