Broadgate Circle improvements proposed

Plans have been submitted to the City of London for a revamp of Broadgate Circle.

Owners British Land and the Blackstone Group want to create an “enhanced performance space” surrounded by new restaurants and shops at lower ground level. The popular ice rink will still run during the Winter months.

Tim Roberts from British Land said: “The proposals for Broadgate Circle are designed to enhance the public amenity and structure at the heart of Broadgate, while preserving its essential character.”

BL says the Arup-designed scheme has the support of English Heritage.

 

Office developer to dispose of office portfolio and focus on retail

PROPERTY developer Hammerson has announced it will dispose of its office portfolio and instead focus on a retail strategy.

The company, which published its year end results for 2011 on Friday, said it would look to sell off its office properties in the medium term and concentrate on its retail portfolio which includes shopping centres such as Brent Cross in North London and the Bullring in Birmingham.

Hammerson owns several office developments in the City which it will be now looking for buyers for. These include 99 Bishopsgate, 1 Leadenhall C ourt, 125 Old Broad Street and 10 Gresham Street.

David Atkins, Chief Executive of Hammerson, said:

“Following the review of our strategy we will focus on being the best owner-manager and developer of retail property within Europe. Hammerson has created a retail business delivering outperformance from prime assets in winning locations. We now intend to sell our standing office investments over the medium term to maximise returns, redeploying capital into the retail sector to exploit our expertise and build on our existing scale. This will create efficiencies that lead to further cost savings and income growth from our portfolio.”

Blackfriars underground station reopens

BLACKFRIARS underground station reopened today after a three year upgrade was completed.

The station is now larger and more accessible following the rebuild, and is expected to be used by over 40,000 passengers a day.

The work was part of a larger redevelopment of Blackfriars station which will see it span both sides of the Thames.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said today: ‘With its magnificent ticket hall, brand new lifts and escalators, and more than double the previous capacity, the rebirth of this central London station will improve the journeys of thousands of passengers every single day.

‘An incredible amount of hard work and expertise has been invested in these improvements, and Blackfriars is now set to become a truly world-class station.’

Alleged burglar drops iPod in City office as he escapes

CITY of London Police want your help identifying this man.

His picture was found on an iPod Touch that was dropped by a man who had broken into offices in Bishopsgate.

The alleged burglar dropped the device and made off after being disturbed by security guards.

DC Siân Astley, of the City of London Police, said: “Initial enquiries have failed to lead us to the person responsible for this break-in.

“I believe discovering the identity of the man in this photograph may prove vital to solving this crime.”

Anyone with information should call DC Siân Astley on 020 7601 2690. Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

New business centre to open on Gracechurch Street

NEW serviced offices have been announced for Gracechurch Street in the City.

The new business centre is the latest in the Square Mile from technology focused office provider i2 Office.

The Milton Keynes-based company is growing rapidly: this will be its third facility in the City and it has just announced a new centre in Manchester and opened a new one in Greenwich.

Their latest City business centre will be on the ground and first floor of no 40 Gracechurch Street.

Philip Grace, CEO of i2 Office, commented: “Gracechurch Street will be a welcome addition to our nationwide network and further strengthens our London City offer.  We have seen high demand for our other centres in London, most recently with Aldersgate, filling up rapidly; we anticipate strong interest in Gracechurch Street.”

Khalid Affara of Arab Investments, who own 40 Gracechurch Street,  added: “We’re delighted to be working with i2 Office, who are clearly innovators in the serviced office market. Their demonstrable track record and recent success at Aldersgate will I’m sure see high occupancy at 40 Gracechurch Street very quickly. We look forward to working with i2 Office on this and at other London locations.”

The new business centre will be close to existing serviced offices at 51-54 Gracechurch Street and 70 Gracechurch Street.

 

 

Friday Photo: Saracens at Liverpool Street

The neglected Friday Photo returns this week with a snap of some Saracens rubgy players posing with their Aviva Premiership trophy outside of Liverpool Street station. Thanks to TheCity.co.uk’s own “Mercurius Moorgate” for this picture.

What’s happening at the Bank of Ideas?

Office news website, Offices.org.uk, sent London journalist Peter Watts to check out the Bank of Ideas that has established itself in former UBS offices in Sun Street.

Even since the financial collapse of 2008, London has had more empty office space than it knows what to do with. Or at least, more than most people know what to do with. On November 19th, however, one empty office block was put to imaginative use by members of the headline-grabbing Occupy movement, who walked in to a building just north of Liverpool Street and immediately set to work turning it into the Bank of Ideas, a community space for London.

The Bank of Ideas now occupies the entirety of a huge building on Sun Street that is owned by the UBS bank and had been empty since 2009. Pay a visit and you’ll be struck by the warmth of the welcome and the relentlessness of the activity. Notices on every wall advertise upcoming talks, marches and film screenings, and when a shout goes out that it’s time to give the building a community clean, yet more bustle results. It’s energising and impressive.

Read the full article here

Aon take ten floors in new Leadenhall Building

The first pre-let has been announced for the under-construction Leadenhall Building.

Risk mananagement and reinsurance company, Aon, have agreed to rent almost 200,000 sq ft of office space over ten storeys in the Richard Rogers designed building which has already been nicknamed the “Cheese Grater”.

The building, which will be 47 storeys tall at completion, is a joint venture by British Land and Oxford Properties.

Robert Brown, CEO Aon Limited said, “We are delighted to have chosen The Leadenhall Building as our new London headquarters. The Aon Centre at The Leadenhall Building places us at the heart of the City’s insurance sector and the building’s impressive location and offices reflect our standing as the leading global professional services firm focused on risk and human capital management.

“The UK, and indeed London, remain an integral part of Aon Corp’s strategy. The decision to move to The Leadenhall Building confirms our commitment here and offers us an ideal platform to continue to grow our business and deliver the best of Aon to our clients.”

Aon are currently based in Devonshire Square.

Review: Official Size Five, Wilton’s Music Hall

Review: Official Size Five at Wilton’s Music Hall,  E1

The performance opened to the haunting sound of a football bouncing on the ageing stage of the Wilton’s Music Hall. What sounds an innocuous scene actually created a tremendous sense of trepidation, with each bounce ratcheting up the tension. In the darkened room, the rhythmic sound of leather on wood, which seemed to go on and on, created a real sense of anticipation of what was to come in this mesmerizing abstract piece by dancer, Noel Wallace.

Official Size Five uses the story of Justin Fashanu – the openly gay black footballer who killed himself – as the backdrop for a compelling piece of work. Archive footage of Fashanu was combined with recorded sequences of Wallace performing on a London rooftop, interrupted by live sequences from the pioneering dancer on the stage of the beautiful venue.

The film elements were interspersed with archive appearances of Sister Rosa Tharpe and Jean Michel Basquiat who, like Fashanu, excelled in their field but remained outsiders. While some of the dialogue in the footage was lost to the acoustics of the room, the visuals stitched together a powerful tale which culminated in a stunning live finale, both sensual and horrifying, with Wallace and incredible aerialist Augusts Dakteris.

Official Size Five will be performed again tonight at Wilton’s Music Hall.

For Sale: Tower 42, for £290 million

The City of London”s iconic Tower 42 has been put for sale with a price tag of £290 million.

The tower at 25 Old Broad Street, originally known as the NatWest Tower, is one of six buildings in the City being put up for sale by owners Blackrock and LaSalle Investment Management.

“With limited supply and increasing demand exerting upward pressure on rents in the City market, investors can anticipate strong returns and considerable long term growth potential,” said Jeff Morton, managing director at Blackrock.

When building of the tower was completed in 1980, it was London’s – and the UK’s – tallest building; a badge of honour it kept for ten years until it was overtaken by the One Canada Square at Canary Wharf.

PropertyWeek.com lists the other buildings up for sale as:

• 20 Old Broad Street (36,000 sq ft)
• 30 Old Broad Street (49,000 sq ft)
• the Plaza Restaurant (3,500 sq ft).
• 15 Bishopsgate (46,000 sq ft)
• the grade I-listed Gibson Hall (13,000 sq ft).

 

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