2 February 2007

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

FIRST LONDON-WIDE INITIATIVE DEVELOPMENT, ADELAIDE WHARF, REACHES TOPPING OUT ON TRACK FOR COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2007

 

Work at Adelaide Wharf, the pioneering development that will see the first new affordable homes for key workers being built as part of the London-Wide Initiative, reached a construction milestone yesterday.

 

First Base, the residential-led urban regeneration developer, and national regeneration agency English Partnerships, joined construction partners Bovis Lend Lease UK (BLL UK) in marking the "topping out" on site in Shoreditch.

 

Adelaide Wharf, due for completion in September 2007, is a mixed use development of 147 homes, of which more than half will be affordable, including a significant proportion reserved for key workers.  Thirty per cent of the development will be three and four bedroomed family homes split across all tenures and it will also include 700 sq m of affordable workspace that will be assigned to a community run regeneration agency.

 

BLFB, the joint venture combining First Base design expertise and Bovis Lend Lease delivery skills, is utilising Modern Methods of Construction throughout and sustainable products in the manufacturing process to deliver a development that is high quality and good value for money.  Adelaide Wharf is expected not only to achieve EcoHomes Excellent rating but also a Lifetime Homes accreditation from BREEAM. It exemplifies the commitment to design and sustainability from the construction and design team.

 

Elliot Lipton, managing director of First Base, said, ÒWe are delighted to have reached this major milestone at Adelaide Wharf and to be on schedule and on budget in delivering the first of five London-Wide Initiative projects with English Partnerships.  

 

ÒAdelaide Wharf is not just another development, it will be a mixed-tenure community with spirit, that brings together First BaseÕs core propositions of design and sustainability.  Topping out is testament to the great work that BLL UK and First Base can deliver in partnership. We look forward to many more similar occasions, as we work with BLL UK and English Partnerships in the future to continue to develop high quality, affordable housing across London.Ó

 

Murray Coleman, CEO at Bovis Lend Lease UK, said, ÒAdelaide Wharf is shaping up as an excellent example of the benefits of working together in partnership to boost the innovation and sustainability in projects.

 

ÒWe are looking forward to bringing our global experience and strong track record of delivery to BLFB projects into the future and I am sure the combined team will continue to bring new innovations to the construction of projects and raise the game for all of the industry.

 

Steve Oakes, English Partnerships Project Director, said, "First Base is making excellent progress towards delivering the first homes under English Partnerships' London-Wide Initiative scheme. We are now another step closer to welcoming the first key worker homeowners at Adelaide Wharf, the first of 1,500 key worker and first-time buyer properties being developed throughout London as a part of the programme."

 

The topping-out ceremony was celebrated at a reception held at The Tannery, Laburnum Street, a neighbouring art studio. First Base has commissioned artists from The Tannery to create art for Adelaide Wharf.

 

-ENDS-

 

For further information please contact:

 

For First Base:                     

Jessica Gooch

Tel: 0207 9086488                                                    

Email jgooch@lexispr.com

 

For Bovis Lend Lease UK:

Belinda Luton

Tel: 0208 271 8115

Email: belinda.Luton@eu.bovislendlease.com

 

For English Partnerships:

Catherine Snow

Tel: 0207 531 2465

E-mail:  catherinesnow@englishpartnerships.co.uk

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

ENGLISH PARTNERSHIPS

English Partnerships is the government's national regeneration agency. It's aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England. It does this by developing it's portfolio of strategic projects and acting as the government's specialist advisor on brownfield land. It also ensures that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider government objectives, especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan. English Partnerships helps to create communities where people can afford to live and want to live, and supports the urban renaissance by improving the quality of towns and cities. Information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

 

The London-Wide Initiative pilot scheme was launched to fast-track more affordable homes in Greater London. The scheme will focus on a portfolio of sites, selected as a test-bed for introducing a range of new ideas for the delivery of homes. The pilot scheme will deliver up to 4,500 homes over the next five years of which around 1,500 will be affordable homes for key workers. Three development partners have been selected to work in partnership with English Partnerships to deliver homes through the London-Wide Initiative; First Base, Key London Alliance and a consortium led by Countryside Properties plc.

 

BOVIS LEND LEASE UK

Bovis Lend Lease is one of the UK's leading construction and project management companies and has a strong track record of delivering landmark projects.

 

 

The company offers a growing range of sector skills from the mainstream commercial and retail markets to leisure, pharmaceuticals, airports and public private partnerships.  Bovis Lend Lease UK has recently been involved in a number of flagship projects including Unilever House, the London Stock Exchange and the Ministry of Defence's Single Living Accommodation Modernisation programme (SLAM).  More information on BLL's projects and programmes can be found at http://www.bovislendlease.com/

 

Bovis Lend Lease has a established number of joint venture partnerships to plan, project manage and deliver regeneration schemes around the world and we are committed to being a sustainable organisation, both in what we do and what we build.

 

FIRST BASE

First Base is the residential-led urban regeneration developer that creates stylish homes in great urban spaces.

-       It transforms the way that properties are built - using best practice modern construction methods that keep costs low yet quality high, embrace sustainability and ensures value for money.

-       It transforms the way that communities are formed - with a mix of tenures, a range of homes, a commitment to high quality management and services that make friends of neighbours.

-       And it transforms the way that style meets function - with attractive designs, inside and out, that do more than simply look good.

 

Designed by renowned architects, built by skilled craftspeople, managed by experts, First Base homes are quality, sustainable properties for purchase or rental.

 

The company was included in the 2006 RIBA Top 50 Clients survey for its innovative approach to quality design, using renowned architects including AHMM, Richard Rogers Partnerships and Fletcher Priest for a range of projects across the capital.

 

First Base is also a founding member of the UK Green Building Council. The non-for-profit organisation is being launched in the spring of 2007 and aims to reduce the environmental impact of buildings by improving the way they are designed, built and maintained.

 

First Base Projects

First Base is currently involved in a range of projects that will deliver mixed tenure housing in London and the south east:

-       selected as a Development and Management partner with English Partnerships as part of the  London-Wide Initiative First Base is working on five sites which will deliver over 1,000 homes, in London.

-       selected by English Partnerships to create the Heart of East Greenwich project, a scheme set to regenerate the site of the former Greenwich District Hospital.

-       working with Blackstone / Generation in a development and construction management role on the KX200 regeneration project in Kings Cross to deliver a mixed-use scheme comprising predominantly affordable student accommodation to over 850 students.

-       selected as 1 of the 4 private sector organisations to participate in the Housing Corporations New Partnerships in Affordable Housing Pilot. The scheme is intended to create a wider market for the delivery of mixed tenure homes as well as develop a new competitive framework for the Housing Corporation's investment programme.

-       selected as a development and delivery partner to East Thames Group to implement their ambitious housing plans in London.

-       in partnership with Lend Lease, First Base have been selected by the London Borough of Newham for the regeneration of Canning Town and Custom House, and are one of two short listed for the £1.5bn  regeneration of Elephant and Castle, and one of two short listed for the Stratford City project including the Olympic Village.

 

For further information please visit www.firstbase.com