The Crown Estate has announced two major mixed-use developments in London’s West End as part of what it describes as the largest programme of office developments in its history. The projects at 10 Piccadilly and 21–29 Glasshouse Street will deliver a combined 169,300 sq ft of office, retail and hospitality space, continuing the organisation’s programme of refurbishing and redeveloping heritage buildings across its central London estate. The schemes form part of The Crown Estate’s wider strategy for its 10 million sq ft London portfolio, which combines office development with retail, leisure and public realm improvements aimed at maintaining the West End’s appeal as a business and visitor destination. (more…)

Railpen has secured planning permission for the redevelopment of 12 Smithfield, paving the way for a major office scheme in the City of London as the surrounding area undergoes significant regeneration. The £34 billion Railways Pension Scheme manager plans to transform the existing building into a 122,000 sq ft office development, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2028. The scheme is intended to provide new office space alongside retail, café and amenity uses, overlooking the historic Smithfield Market site. The project forms part of wider investment in the Smithfield district, where around £400 million is being invested ahead of the opening of the new London Museum in 2028. The museum will occupy part of the former Smithfield Market complex and is expected to become the centrepiece of a new cultural quarter. (more…)

Refurbishment projects account for the largest share of the office development pipeline across the UK’s major regional cities, as new build activity remains subdued and occupiers continue to favour high quality, sustainable space. According to new figures from Avison Young, refurbishment schemes now represent the majority of space under construction in the Big Nine regional office markets. The volume of refurbishment space in the pipeline has risen by 12 percent year on year, reflecting a sustained shift towards upgrading existing stock rather than delivering entirely new buildings. (more…)