Firm adds to string of wins in capital this year

Lendlease is set for its next high-profile London scheme with the firm expected to sign on the dotted line for an office job in the Square Mile.

The firm is being lined up for a Great Portland Estates job at City Place House on Basinghall Street close to London Wall.

The 13-storey scheme, thought to be worth £130m and which is also known as 2 Aldermanbury Square, has been designed by Allies & Morrison.

alder 2

The scheme has been designed by Allies & Morrison

Keltbray has been carrying out work to tear down a 30-year-old block at 55 Basinghall Street and part of a neighbouring building at 40 Basinghall Street.

Its replacement will be a 320,500 sq ft office-led building which was given planning last summer.

Others working on the deal include QS Gardiner & Theobald, structural engineer Arup, project manager Cogent and M&E engineer Sweco.

It is understood Lendlease has moved onto site ahead of work proper beginning shortly with a completion date of late 2025 being previously mooted by GPE.

Lendlease has already put together a string of wins this year including the £200m deal to turn the former Debenhams flagship on Oxford Street into a mixed-use scheme as well as the news that it has won a £400m-plus office scheme at 120 Fleet Street – a tonic since its £400m deal to turn the former ITV studios on South Bank faces months on the sidelines after it was called in last week by communities secretary Greg Clark.

Meanwhile, another GPE scheme is not expected to go out to tender until next year because of planning delays.

Designed by AHMM, the New City Court scheme on St Thomas Street, close to the Shard, was originally planned at 37 storeys.

But objectors, including Save Britain’s Heritage, said the office scheme was too high for the area with plans then proposed to chop off 11 storeys in April last year.

Both the 37- and 26-storey proposals are now subject to a public inquiry which closed to submissions last month. In its annual results in May, GPE said it had “regretfully appealed for non-determination [after] having explored all avenues to have both the 2018 and 2021 schemes approved by Southwark without success”.

One likely bidder said: “Due to planning delays, that job’s gone back six-plus months. It’ll be one for 2023.”

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