ELIZABETH HOUSE, YORK ROAD


What Redevelopment of office block designed by Sir David Chipperfield would create two new buildings of 29 storeys and 11 storeys, providing 85,700 sq ft of offices and 142 residential units with shops and cafés at ground level. Who Elizabeth House Partnership, a joint venture between Chelsfield and London & Regional When Lambeth council has resolved to approve planning, and communities secretary Eric Pickles has decided not to call in the plans, but legal agreements have yet to be signed between the developer and council. The developer is seeking an office prelet.


Hospital Charity, acquired the York House site and gained consent to redevelop it with student housing. Ogilvy & Mather has now reportedly settled on Archlane’s Sea Containers House, close to Blackfriars Bridge. Another property that Lambeth had envisaged as an opportunity for an office-based redevelopment was Hercules House, behind the station. It will be occupied by various government departments until the lease expires in September this year. But in January, education provider Oasis won consent to convert the building into a school,


despite the fact that it did not yet own the building. In March, receivers sold Hercules House to PPHE Hotel Group, which is expected to convert it into a hotel. At least 111 Westminster Bridge Road,


which had planning consent for a mixed scheme with serviced offices, will remain an office block, although its Irish owner has decided to refurbish the existing building, rather than redevelop. So why does Waterloo never seem to


get its plans off the ground? Agents and developers are unanimous in lauding the attractions of the area. Waterloo is the busiest station in the UK,


11 May 2013


serving 88m passengers a year. The area has excellent connections to the City, the West End and Canary Wharf. The redevelopment of the


Royal Festival Hall has proved a big public draw, and the Shell Centre and Elizabeth House face the London Eye. Lambeth has already landscaped Jubilee Gardens, adding a children’s play area, and plans to extend the park into what is now the Hungerford car park (see panel). The problem seems to be that


Waterloo lacks an established modern office market, making it very difficult to determine rental levels. Figures from


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