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Development Update Kings Quarter Developer's Completion Estimate
Developer's Completion Estimate It is expected that the developer will serve notice within the next few days. The exterior elevations of the private apartments are virtually complete with only some minor work to the cladding remaining. Apartments on the lower levels have now been completed internally too and snagging is being undertaken to ensure that the developer's finish and attention to detail is as it should be. Scaffolding is being removed from the outside of the development and the main entrance is currently being fitted out in anticipation of handover. Work to the courtyard and other exterior areas are ongoing, including finishing the pathways and installing handrails.
This month, the regeneration of Kings Cross was hailed by English Heritage as one of England's finest examples of conservation-led redevelopment. Steve Bee, director of planning and development at English Heritage, said: 'The heritage and development sectors have recognised that they can be a real asset to each other. In some cases historic buildings would have been lost if it were not for progressive and imaginative developers and conservation experts working together in this new way. He added: 'Conservation has changed - it is collaborative, reasonable and precise. Five years ago there was no way to achieve this confidence. These sites would have seemed too risky or too confrontational for investment.' Meanwhile, the stunning new arts and performance centre, Kings Place, which featured in our previous development update, has since opened its doors to rave reviews from the likes of the Financial Times and The Times. This new home to London Sinfonietta, with a 420-seat auditorium, is a stone's throw from King's Quarter. Its inaugural festival of 100 events attracted a huge crowd; thousands thronged its foyers, bars, cafés and galleries, all soaking up the incredible atmosphere of what is set to become one of London's most popular arts venue. Down2Town, an estate agency that focuses on quality new properties, is marketing a 1 bed apartment in a new development very close to Kings Quarter for £265 per week and PK Property Services are marketing a 1 bed flat off Pentonville Road for £260 per week. Franklin James is offering a 1 bedroom flat for rent in The Yard, at the bottom of York Way, for £275 per week and a 2 bedroom warehouse conversion nearby is on the market for £350 per week through Base. There are a number of 1 bedroom apartments in Kings Quarter available for purchase through local agents, with asking prices varying between £250,000 and £315,000. Bairstow Eves has a 1 bedroom apartment in the Radius Development for £290,000. Currells have a 2 bedroom in a similar location for £350,000. The structural elements of the building are essentially complete enabling the exterior of the building to progress. Whilst the main components forming the elevations have been completed and numerous windows are in place, the installation of the final outer layer is ongoing.
February Site Update The developer informs us that Kings Quarter is progressing well. The structure has reached the sixth floor level and the walls dividing individual apartments are in place. The exterior block walls have been built up to the third floor level and the brick facing to the exterior walls are in progress.
November Site Update Back in June, this development was yet to begin rising out of the ground, but work on the structure has continued apace and the supporting framework is now standing the 6th floor level, with external walls now going up on the first floor.
The transformation of Kings Cross was a clear winner at the 2008 Mayor of London Planning Awards. The awards, now in their fifth year, recognised the outstanding achievements in planning achieved by developers and individuals involved in the regeneration of Kings Cross, applauding in particular the new St Pancras International Station. Plans were unveiled this week for the proposed regeneration work that is set to transform the transport interchange at Kings Cross mainline station and how it will link in with the £2 billion King’s Cross Central regeneration project on the railway lands. Plans for the station include increased capacity with more flexibility for handling suburban and national rail services; new facilities will include world-class shops, restaurants and waiting areas. The station designs will blend a modern design with the existing heritage of the station buildings and create a station that accommodates seamless interchanges between international, national, regional and Thameslink services. The scheme is due for completion by 2011.
Sainsbury's has announced that it will move its headquarters from Holborn to a new 250,000 sq ft building at Argent's £2 billion King's Cross Central scheme. The UK’s no. 3 supermarket is also understood to be bringing a store to the 67-acre site. Argent and partners, London & Continental Railways and Exel, have now appointed HBG as contractor to build the first 500,000 sq ft at the scheme which when completed will comprise a total of 4.5m sq ft of offices, 1,946 flats, 500,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space. Another of the area’s significant mixed-use developments, Kings Place, is coming to fruition. Phased handover of the 300,000 sq ft scheme is due to commence from November 2007 and the entire development will be compete by April 2008. The prestigious commercial space has been secured by The Guardian and Observer newspapers. The development will also be a cultural focal point for the area, featuring a 420 seat concert hall, conference facilities and an art gallery, as well as waterside bars and restaurants. The Eurostar service – the centrepiece of the newly developed St Pancras International station – began running from November 14 2007. This makes transport even easier, with six tube lines connecting at King's Cross St Pancras as well as seven main line operators coming into St Pancras International, King's Cross and nearby Euston. July Site Update Since the last visit, the underground car park has taken shape. Framework of the building will start to develop in the coming month.
March Site Update The site has been cleared, the construction team are on site and work has commenced.
The main update for Kings Cross is that the planning application has finally been granted! The massive regeneration works encompassing the Kings Cross / St Pancras stations aims to turn King’s Cross into a modern transport hub that will meet the needs of passengers for many years to come. This includes reducing overcrowding, creating a modern environment with improved services for more passengers and better connections between transport. There will also be a substantial amount of commercial space built. Phase 2 of the High speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) is due to complete in 2007. This second phase is the final part of the high-speed route from the Channel Tunnel to Kings Cross. This will include the Eurostar service moving from Waterloo to Kings Cross.
t: +44 (0)845 356 1000 e: info@younggroup.co.uk |
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