Shell's London redevelopment approved
Plans to redevelop the Shell Centre on London’s South Bank have been approved, developers said.
The 1.45 million sq ft scheme will transform the 1960s office site, providing new offices for Shell and other businesses as well as hundreds of new homes and shops.
Under the plan by Braeburn Estates, a joint venture of Canary Wharf Group and Qatari Diar, there will be open and attractive public areas, while the Shell Centre Tower will remain at the heart of the development.
The 27-storey tower, which will continue to be owned and occupied by Shell, will be complemented by eight new buildings, one of which will incorporate a further 245,000 sq ft of new offices and trading floors for the oil company.
About 800,000 sq ft of office space (including the tower), along with around 80,000 sq ft of new retail units, restaurants and cafes, will be accompanied by about 800,000 sq ft of residential space incorporating up to 877 new homes, including affordable housing.
The development is planned for completion in 2019, with construction starting at the end of this year.
New pedestrian routes through the site will improve connections between Waterloo station and the South Bank. A widened Chicheley Street will open up the approach to the London Eye, while a “city square” at the heart of the scheme will provide open space.
The construction project will employ an average of 700 workers on site rising to about 1,630 at the peak of construction.
Once construction is finished, the redevelopment will increase the number of jobs on site with more than 6,000 people expected to be employed between the two new commercial buildings and the Shell Centre Tower.
The additional commercial space in the redevelopment will extensively expand the Shell London head office, allowing all of its 4,000 London-based staff to be in the same office for the first time.
The two new commercial buildings will accommodate about 4,120 office-based jobs, up to 295 retail jobs, and around 50 in the community and leisure areas, totalling up to 4,465 jobs.
Sir George Iacobescu, chairman and chief executive of Canary Wharf Group, said: “We are delighted that Lambeth Council has approved these plans for us to work on such an important and historical site.
“We will continue to work with the London Borough of Lambeth and the local community as we move to the next phase of planning and development to ensure that all involved in the area get the best possible opportunities from this new development.”
Qatari Diar Group chief executive officer Khaled Al Sayyed said: “Our development will be a unique place to live and work in the centre of London, providing locals and visitors alike with much-needed public space, entertainment and culture.”
