Contractor taken off delayed luxury London residential job

Northern Irish contractor O’Hare & McGovern has been taken off a highly-delayed luxury residential job in north London, Building has learned.

O’Hare & McGovern was the main contractor on developer Ballymore’s £25m West Hampstead Square scheme, which was the firm’s biggest job in England.

Sources close to the project told Building the firm had been removed from the project by the developer Ballymore, for “taking too long” to complete the scheme. Ballymore has taken over the role of main contractor for the remainder of the job.

West Hampstead Square, which comprises 198 flats as well as a public square with shops and restaurants, was expected to complete by January this year but is still under construction. One well-placed source told Building it is now expected to complete in November, representing an 11-month delay.

Ballymore and O’Hare & McGovern declined to comment as Building went to press.

Construction work on West Hampstead Square began in February 2014, according to construction data company Barbour ABI. Woods Bagot is the architect on the scheme, with Ramboll providing structural and civil engineering services. WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff is providing mechanical and electric engineering services, according to Barbour ABI.