PRESS RELEASE
FIRST BASE SECURES PLANNING FOR MAJOR
ELEPHANT & CASTLE SCHEME
Urban regeneration developer, First Base,
has taken another important step in the transformation of Elephant & Castle
after receiving planning consent for a major new 44-storey tower designed by
renowned architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners.
Proposals for a mixed-use residential
scheme on the site of the Old London Park Hotel have been approved by Southwark
Council, just a month after a separate First Base development, "Printworks",
was given the go ahead. The news also follows the recent selection of First
Base, as part of a consortium with Lend Lease and Oakmayne, as development
partners for the overall £1.5bn masterplanned regeneration of Elephant & Castle.
Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour &
Partners (formerly known as the Richard Rogers Partnership), the scheme will
deliver 470 new homes for London, ranging from affordable and social rent
properties delivered under English Partnerships London-Wide Initiative, to
high-end apartments, all with stunning views across the capital.
Elliot Lipton, Managing Director of First Base, comments, "Our aim
with this scheme was to fuse great urban design with high density living,
building a real sense of community. By combining a mix of tenures with new
public facilities, retail space and landscaped gardens we hope to set a vibrant
tone for future mixed-use development in the area."
"The regeneration of Elephant & Castle is a great opportunity in
the long-term evolution of London and we're very excited to be working with
Southwark Council to provide new homes, jobs and services for the community. The
regeneration of the derelict London Park Hotel builds momentum for the
implementation of the masterplan.
The demolition of the existing
Old London Park Hotel will make way for a 44-storey iconic architectural
structure with a new public square, cafes and a stunning new home for Southwark
Playhouse. In the heart of the Elephant the 200-seat auditorium
and a dedicated education space will allow the playhouse to continue its
commitment to teaching and drama in the local area.
Cllr
Richard Thomas, Southwark Council's executive member for regeneration,
comments, "This is the beginning of a fantastic time for the area, as more
and more innovative developments start to come through.
"In the coming years, Elephant and Castle will become a deserved jewel in central London's crown, but even at this early stage, local people are already seeing for themselves how their neighbourhood is improving. And securing a new home for the Southwark Playhouse is very important, because regeneration is as much about community resources as it is about buildings."
Architect Richard Rogers, or Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, an advocate of high-density living says the First Base formula – a mix of private, Key Worker and rented homes mirrors his own blueprint for inner city housing. He says, "Our brief was to create an elegant building that not just lifts the area but also improves the quality of life for its residents."
The site
is currently owned by national regeneration agency English Partnerships. It is
being developed by First Base as part of the London-Wide Initiative (LWI), a
scheme managed by English Partnerships to deliver new, affordable homes for Key Workers across the capital. The LWI shared
equity scheme makes homes more affordable for key workers on lower incomes by
reducing home ownership costs as a percentage of monthly outgoings.
Steve Oakes, Area Director at English Partnerships, adds, "This is great news for Key Workers planning to buy their first home in London. We're now well on our way to delivering a sustainable neighbourhood that provides a range of housing tenures in an area set to become a prime residential location."
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Jessica Gooch / David Lucas
Tel: 020 7908 6447 / 020 7908 6422
Email: jgooch@lexispr.com
/ dlucas@lexispr.com
NOTES TO EDITORS:
First Base Limited
Transforming Urban Spaces and Building
Communities.
First
Base is the 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, embracing sustainability and ensuring 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
and affordable properties for purchase or rental.
First Base is currently involved in a range
of projects that will deliver mixed-tenure housing in London and the South
East. These include:
-
Elephant & Castle regeneration, as
part of Lend Lease consortium
-
London's first major carbon neutral
scheme on the site of the former Greenwich District Hospital
-
Stratford City including the 2012
Athletes Village, as part of the Lend Lease consortium
-
On behalf of the Blackstone Group, the
regeneration of a site in Kings Cross to provide affordable accommodation to
over 900 students
-
A number of schemes under English
Partnerships' London Wide Initiative including Adelaide Wharf in Shoreditch and
two sites in regeneration hot spot, Elephant and Castle
The company was included in the RIBA "Top 50 Clients" survey for its innovative approach to quality design, using renowned architects including, Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, AHMM 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 organisation, launched in the Spring of 2007,
aims to provide leadership and cohesion to the UK Green building movement,
provide a single, powerful pan-industry voice to Government, facilitate knowledge
sharing and spread best practice and raise the international standing of UK
industry.
For further information please visit www.firstbase.com
ENGLISH PARTNERSHIPS
English Partnerships is the government's national
regeneration agency delivering high quality, sustainable growth in England.
English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation
are working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to
establish the proposed new homes agency.
Information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk
The London-Wide Initiative (LWI) is a
government-backed scheme managed by English Partnerships which enables key
workers to buy their own home.
English Partnerships has purchased a range of 15 development sites
across inner and greater London to deliver new, affordable homes in
collaboration with the Housing Corporation. Under the Initiative, the
government shares the costs and the benefits of homeownership with purchasers
in order to make these homes more affordable.
The Initiative 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.