FTSE 250 property developer raises its profile of corporate responsibility

June 10, 2015, 8:24 am

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Community groups in Fitzrovia have again won a share of grants offered by one of the neighbourhood’s largest and most active property developers. In an announcement last week Derwent London made grants totalling £66,230 shared among six charities to deliver local community projects and raise its profile of corporate responsibility in the face of local criticism. The organisations and projects are: All Souls Clubhouse (After school football club & Clubkicks), Fitzrovia Community Centre (Arts programme), Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association (Fitzrovia Positive Health), Fitzrovia Youth in Action (Community events programme), and Upbeat Music & Mental Health (Streets of London music workshop and showcase). Derwent a FTSE 250 listed real estate investment trust (REIT) said it was pleased with the quality and range of applications and selected the winning entries “on the basis that they will offer a range of positive benefits — focussing on social, cultural, art and health”. John Davies, head of sustainability at Derwent London, commented: “We were really pleased to see a range of great projects this year and yet again had difficult decisions to make in allocating the funds.” The real estate firm also announced more money in future for local community groups, something that will be received well in [...]

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Derwent London is turning a little oasis into dystopia

June 26, 2015, 6:40 am

≫ Next: Developer buys Oxford Street and Hanway Street buildings in Crossrail 2 land grab

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“Someone described the area as a little oasis in Fitzrovia, and we would not want to change that. We are a property company with sensitivities. We want to get rid of the idea that we will come in and knock everything down.” — Simon Silver of Derwent London (interview with property press, November 2009). A building on Charlotte Street and three buildings on Berners Street — all flattened — and more demolition to come would suggest that Derwent London have not been telling the gullible property media the full gospel about their intentions. But it is not just Derwent. They are all at it. Exemplar, who demolished the Time Out building on Tottenham Court Road, Dukelease who demolished the oldest building on Goodge Street including the facade (accidentally) and will demolish then build a horrendous development in a tiny street; and UCLH and their naughty sibling UCLH Charity both of whom have treated architecture and hospital staff with the utmost contempt. Fitzrovia is not a pretty sight. It’s not just the usual suspects that have had enough of it, everyone else has had their fair share of noise, dust and disruption, while a handful of property developers squeeze as much exchange value as they [...]

Developer buys Oxford Street and Hanway Street buildings in Crossrail 2 land grab

November 16, 2015, 5:59 am

≫ Next: ‘FIFA approved’ 5-a-side pitch draws a crowd of supporters and opponents

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One of London’s largest property developers has announced that it has bought a number of small properties on the corner of Oxford Street and Hanway Street, triggering speculation that it is planning a large scale redevelopment on the back of proposals for Crossrail 2. Derwent London acquired the buildings which are all situated above the Tottenham Court Road station which connects passengers to the Central and Northern tube lines as well as Crossrail and a proposed Crossrail 2 line. This autumn Transport for London (TfL) announced that buildings on the corner of Oxford Street and Rathbone Place would be demolished to make way for a new station entrance and a Crossrail 2 tunnel construction site if the proposals get the go ahead. Fitzrovia News was told by TfL that the Hanway Street buildings are not included in the area and not under threat of demolition. However, Derwent’s latest land grab is east of and immediately next to the Rathbone Place area and consists of 50 Oxford Street, and 36-38 and 42-44 Hanway Street. In an announcement last week the real estate investment trust (REIT) said it paid £14.5million at £2,395 per square foot for the mostly Georgian buildings “adding to our significant Fitzrovia Estate”. The news will [...]

‘FIFA approved’ 5-a-side pitch draws a crowd of supporters and opponents

January 24, 2016, 4:52 pm

≫ Next: Arup left staff in the dark after deal to sell its offices and relocate

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A new playing surface at a sports pitch in Fitzrovia will revitalise the public open space says a youth charity but opponents say that football is being favoured over other sports and local children’s playtime at the ground is being cut. Fitzrovia Youth in Action (FYA) has taken over the management of The Warren sports pitch under a license from Camden Council and has installed a state-of-the-art playing surface which will be officially opened on Tuesday 26 January. Artificial grass has replaced tarmac at Whitfield Place and will allow an improved game on a professional pitch which for most of the time will be hired out to corporate users to generate an income for the youth charity. “This flood-lit pitch offers users a high quality, newest generation Astroturf playing surface which is FIFA approved and ideal for playing 5-a-side football,” says FYA who organise youth activities throughout Camden. But the move has been criticised by the Friends of Fitzrovia Parks, a group set up by Camden Council to liaise with residents over the use and improvement of open spaces in the neighbourhood. The Friends group say that the new surface will exclude games such as basketball and netball and they criticise Camden for signing an agreement which reduces the amount of [...]

Arup left staff in the dark after deal to sell its offices and relocate

February 28, 2017, 2:02 pm

≫ Next: Neighbourhood forum calls on Westminster council to reject Holden House redevelopment plans

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Staff at Arup’s London headquarters were left with a weekend of unnecessary uncertainty about the future of their offices after a surprise announcement was made saying their building had been sold and that they were moving but to an unknown new address. A trilogy of multi-million pound deals involving the global engineering firm and two publicly listed property developers meant that separate embargoed press notices went out several days apart leaving hundreds of employees not knowing what was going on. On the morning of Friday 24 February Workspace Group plc announced they were buying the freehold of 13-17 Fitzroy Street for £98.5m and that Arup was due to vacate the building from 2020. An email from Arup’s management confirmed to staff the same day that they had signed an agreement to sell but said they couldn’t say where or when they were intending to move. Despite Arup priding itself on being run for its staff — “Arup is a wholly independent organisation owned in trust for the benefit of its employees and their dependants” — those very employees were kept waiting and worrying to find out what was happening. Staff who spoke to Fitzrovia News expressed great concern about where they [...]

Neighbourhood forum calls on Westminster council to reject Holden House redevelopment plans

July 31, 2017, 12:47 am

≫ Next: Derwent and Multiplex want 24-hour construction on Charlotte Street

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The Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum is urging Westminster council to reject plans by property developer Derwent London to part demolish and redevelop a cluster of commercial buildings on a corner site in the Hanway Street conservation area. Plans by Derwent are for the demolition and redevelopment behind retained facades of 54-62 Oxford Street and 51-58 Rathbone Place (known as Holden House or Evelyn House); and for the complete demolition of 66 and 68 Oxford Street to be replaced with a new “high quality glass-block building”. Nick Bailey of the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum has written to Westminster council’s planners saying the application should be refused. “This is an important early work by Percy Adams and Charles Holden and we are concerned that the integrity of the listed building will be lost if redevelopment occurs. “This site was designed and has evolved with a series of out-buildings and an internal courtyard in 54-62 Oxford Street. This pattern of development is typical of Fitzrovia and enables a variety of businesses to locate in this and similar locations. “While the front façade and external appearance will be retained the character of the building and its architectural integrity would be completely lost,” he says. [...]

Derwent and Multiplex want 24-hour construction on Charlotte Street

January 20, 2018, 6:24 am

≫ Next: Multiplex cancels overnight working on Charlotte Street site after pressure from local residents

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Construction giant Multiplex are pressing Camden Council to allow them to work through the night on Derwent London’s largest office and residential development, to play catch-up on a site which has been dogged by delays. Mutiplex wants to pour concrete onto steelwork at the 80 Charlotte Street site overnight between Friday 26 and Saturday 27 January, despite noisy construction work being banned between 6pm and 8am by planning conditions and environmental health laws. The project was delayed in 2013 after advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, which occupied the building since 1975, delayed its move away from the property to two other sites also built by Derwent London at Farringdon and Chancery Lane. Originally the project was to retain a substantial proportion of the existing structures thereby cutting waste and carbon emissions whilst reducing the construction period. But shortly after work started on the job the less environmentally-destructive approach was ditched after Multiplex and Derwent decided that the existing structure was not worth keeping and a complete demolition of the floorplates was necessary. As a consequence the landmark scheme designed by architects Make was again delayed. The site has been mostly pre-let to The Boston Consulting Group and global engineering firm [...]

Multiplex cancels overnight working on Charlotte Street site after pressure from local residents

January 25, 2018, 11:16 am

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International construction contractor Multiplex has caved in to pressure from residents and abandoned its plans for an overnight concrete pour at the redevelopment of the former Saatchi & Saatchi building on Charlotte Street. The construction site is Derwent London’s largest development project in London and Multiplex are contracted to carry of the demolition and reconstruction of the mixed use building designed by architects Make. Last Friday evening Multiplex announced they wanted to pour concrete on the site continuously from 8.00am this Friday (26 January) until 1pm on Saturday, running four 33-tonne mixertrucks to the site every hour, and running diesel pumps day and night. Clearly irritated by the reaction from local residents who strongly objected and the negative publicity in our news report they announced that they would instead do the concrete pour within normal working hours. Nigel Bunce, project director at Multiplex, told residents at a public meeting on Monday that they will instead do the work on Friday 26, Monday 29, and Wednesday 31 January between 8am and 6pm. On each day 450m3 of concrete will be delivered by around 60 truckmixers to the site to feed two concrete pumps. Multiplex say they are confident they can complete [...]

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Derwent London plans major demolition and redevelopment on Tottenham Court Road

October 9, 2020, 12:55 am

≫ Next: Derwent’s Network Building plans fall down on housing and public open space

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Derwent London, the property development company who eleven years ago said "we want to get rid of the idea that we will come in and knock everything down", is planning to knock down yet another large building, adding to the pile of rubble it has already trucked out of Fitzrovia. The Network Building on the […]

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Derwent’s Network Building plans fall down on housing and public open space

December 15, 2020, 11:10 pm

≫ Next: Evening Standard lost in time and space with Saatchi feature

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Derwent London's latest sortie into Fitzrovia means demolishing yet another large building, and constructing a shiny new, nine-storey commercial block, with little in the way of housing and public open space -- contrary to Camden Council's planning policy. New office and retail space is planned at the Network Building, 95-100 Tottenham Court Road. Image: Derwent […]

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Evening Standard lost in time and space with Saatchi feature

January 17, 2014, 9:26 am

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The Evening Standard has got both geography and history mixed up with its article on Saatchi & Saatchi's forthcoming departure from Charlotte Street. In a feature on its business pages today Fitzrovia's most famous advertising agency is reported as about "to move east from Soho to a new landmark office on the former site of […]

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Richard Seifert design among buildings facing demolition on Berners Street

March 24, 2014, 12:59 am

≫ Next: Derwent London announces grant funding but controversy is never far away

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A modernist building designed by Richard Seifert & Partners and a neo-Georgian building by Robert Angell & Curtis could be demolished in a redevelopment on Berners Street. Derwent London intend to submit a planning application to Westminster council in April to demolish three buildings and create a single new building. Derwent held an exhibition last […]

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Derwent London announces grant funding but controversy is never far away

May 19, 2014, 8:49 am

≫ Next: C20 Society propose heritage listing for Seifert’s Copyright House

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Derwent London have today announced its second round of community grants with £75,000 of funding shared between seven organisations in Fitzrovia. Three community groups have been awarded grants of approximately £15,000 each: Fitzrovia Noir for an art project, Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association for women's health and exercise, and Upbeat Music to deliver a series of music […]

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C20 Society propose heritage listing for Seifert’s Copyright House

May 20, 2014, 11:41 pm

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The Twentieth Century Society has made an application to English Heritage to list a building on Berners Street saying it is among the best of architect Richard Seifert's early works. Copyright House was constructed as a purpose built office block in the late 1950s and is a rare example of the architect's work from this […]

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Seifert’s Copyright House to be demolished by Derwent London

October 28, 2014, 3:43 am

≫ Next: Derwent London sets out timetable for major developments in Fitzrovia

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Fitzrovia will face more noise and disruption from construction work next year after planning permission was given to demolish three buildings on Berners Street and redevelop on the site. The neighbourhood will also lose one of its most distinctive buildings, despite objections from local residents and The Twentieth Century Society conservation group. A Westminster City Council […]

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Derwent London sets out timetable for major developments in Fitzrovia

February 27, 2015, 10:45 am

≫ Next: Planning application: 67 Whitfield Street

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Derwent London, the largest London-focused real estate investment trust (REIT), has now set out its timetable for major developments in Fitzrovia including its largest construction project to date which will see the district's most famous advertising agency leave and herald another onslaught of building work to endure. Later this year demolition and construction work will begin on 80 Charlotte Street […]

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Planning application: 67 Whitfield Street

April 30, 2021, 9:52 am

≫ Next: Camden’s planners recommend scheme that doesn’t provide enough affordable housing

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Ground floor of 67 Whitfield Street on the corner with Chitty Street. An application has been made to Camden Council to change the ground floor retail unit at 67 Whitfield Street, Fitzrovia to a restaurant. The premises is part of the 80 Charlotte Street building that has been redeveloped by Derwent London. The application seeks […]

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Camden’s planners recommend scheme that doesn’t provide enough affordable housing

July 11, 2021, 11:19 pm

≫ Next: Licensing application: 28-29 Tottenham Court Road

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The Network Building on Tottenham Court Road. Photo: Fitzrovia News. Camden’s planning boss has given his blessing for a controversial office development to go ahead without the legally-required number of affordable homes -- after developers complained that their £20m profit showed the scheme wasn’t “financially viable”. A final decision on the planning application will be […]

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Licensing application: 28-29 Tottenham Court Road

January 28, 2022, 8:01 am

≫ Next: Cyclist killed in collision with driver of a truck on Charlotte Street

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Derwent Central Cross Limited has applied to Camden Council of a new premises licence for 28-29 Tottenham Court Road, Fitzrovia. The application seeks a licence in addition to, and on the same terms and conditions as, the existing licence (aka a shadow licence) for late night refreshment, the sale of alcohol, and the playing of […]

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Cyclist killed in collision with driver of a truck on Charlotte Street

May 24, 2023, 7:58 am

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Police investigate the crash scene at Charlotte Street. Photo: Fitzrovia News. Police are appealing for witnesses and carrying out an investigation after a cyclist riding a Lime hire e-bike died in a collision with a driver of a lorry on Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia on the morning of Wednesday 24 May. The crash happened at the […]

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