Green light given to London Olympia redevelopment

Capital & Counties Properties has secured planning consent for the redevelopment of Olympia Exhibition and Conference Centre in London.

The £20m plans include redevelopment of the west hall, within its existing footprint, into a two-storey 10,000m2 exhibition facility by adding a floor and creating links to the grand hall and Olympia 2 behind the restored façade. Olympia 2 will be reconfigured to provide more efficient servicing arrangements and improved connectivity with the rest of the facility.

Construciton work is due to start on site in early 2011 and will continue through 2012 but will be phased to allow the exhibition and conference business already operating at Olympia to continue.

Gary Yardley, investment director of Capco, said: “We are committed to ensuring that Olympia maintains its position as a world class venue. The approval for our redevelopment plans will provide us with the opportunity to intensify operations at Olympia once the works are completed. This project is part of our overall strategy to unlock latent value through the delivery of our plans to regenerate our Earls Court & Olympia estate.”