Canary Wharf Group launches registration for 800 riverside homes at former Shell Centre
Fresh from its takeover by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, Canary Wharf Group has launched registration for homes at its first-ever non-Canary Wharf development – Southbank Place, formerly known as the Shell Centre.
The company is planning a £1bn renovation of the 27-storey site, which will include 868 homes, 530,000 sq ft of office space and 48,000 sq ft of retail space when it's completed in 2019.
The launch of the site is the culmination of four years of in-fighting between the developers (who also include Qatari Diar), and activists, who brought challenges in the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
George Turner, a writer and activist who objected to the plans, which includes another seven buildings around the main tower, told the BBC in June that the scheme was "flawed in so many ways", and was likely to damage views of Westminster Palace from Green Park.
The scheme includes seven new buildings around the original, 27-storey tower (Source: Canary Wharf Group)
Nevertheless, Canary Wharf Group chairman and chief executive Sir George Iacobescu said the scheme will contain "some of the most contemporary homes available in London".
"The design and quality of the buildings and open spaces will not only add to the existing social environment, but will give back to the South Bank community.
"This initiative… has already placed £4.5m of contracts with local businesses. We are confident that this scheme will be a world-class addition to a culturally vibrant area of London, and create one of the capital’s most desirable addresses in years to come.”