Rivals being sounded out about £500m ITV Studios scheme more than two years after Lendlease won it

The team behind the major redevelopment of ITV’s former London headquarters on the South Bank has begun sounding out rival contractors more than two years after Lendlease was chosen for the job,

Building understands Mace and Multiplex have both been asked to run the rule over the work which is expected to cost £500m – provided it goes ahead.

Known as Project Vista, Lendlease won the scheme in May 2022 but two years later the firm was put up for sale by its Australian owner.

Development manager CO-RE, which declined to comment, is understood to be looking at a plan B because of the uncertainty caused by Lendlease’s decision to sell up. On Monday, Lendlease said that its UK construction boss, Simon Gorski, was leaving the company and being replaced by its regional boss David Cadiot.

Building understands Lendlease’s proposal for CO-RE is still on the table but both Mace and Multiplex are believed to be at the start of pricing the job with bids expected in the autumn. Lendlease originally beat Sir Robert McAlpine and Laing O’Rourke to the work. 

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The scheme at 72 Upper Ground has been mired in hold-ups since Lendlease originally won it with the job being called in by the previous government and the decision repeatedly held up before then communities secretary Michael Gove finally gave it the green light in February this year.

But in May a local campaign group called Save Our South Bank (SOSB) won the right to challenge Gove’s decision which will be heard in the High Court this October.

CO-RE had been gearing up to start on site this summer with McGee set to resume demolition work which had been put on hold after the scheme was originally put on ice by Gove two years ago.

Designed by Make, the scheme has stirred controversy due to its scale and proximity to listed buildings and is described by SOSB as ‘The Slab’.

SOSB have said that the former ITV tower could be refurbished to provide 200 homes and 500,000 sq ft of offices while saving a huge amount of embodied carbon compared to Make’s full redevelopment approach.

CO-RE is developing the scheme with Mitsubishi Estate while others working on the job include including QS T&T Alinea, landscape architect Grant Associates and engineer Arup.

The plot was bought by Mitsubishi and CO-RE for close to £150m in November 2019.