EC Harris steps in to manage Heron’s Barbican scheme

Davis Langdon has been replaced by EC Harris on a £100m tower in the City, it has emerged.

Developer Heron Properties has brought in EC Harris as consultant on its 155m-high Milton Place scheme at the Barbican, which will be the first residential tower to be built in the City for 30 years.

It is understood the change was made after a review of cost management by Heron, which wanted the cost manager to take on a wider role in the scheme in the wake of financial market turbulence. It is believed that EC Harris will become closely involved in a number of other areas, including the project’s procurement strategy.

The scheme is the second large contract recently won by EC Harris after Davis Langdon left a project. Towards the end of last year it was brought onto the multi-million pound Bishopsgate Goods Yard regeneration project, also in the City.

It is thought that Davis Langdon left that scheme, which is being developed by Hammerson and Ballymore Properties, after discussions over the scope of the work.

As well as a 284-apartment residential tower, Heron’s Milton Court scheme will house facilities for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, with a 625-seat concert hall, a training theatre and teaching space. Heron won planning permission for the scheme, designed by David Walker Architects, last November.

Nick Cryer, a partner in EC Harris, said: “Market conditions have toughened and clients are now looking beyond traditional cost management for their work. It is not sufficient to deliver cost management in the way it was delivered a year or two ago, and businesses like ours need to offer a broader understanding of a client’s needs.”