The Crown Estate unveils newest London developments

The Crown Estate has unveiled details of its pipeline of developments in London’s West End. The first three projects, which have a Gross Development Value of over £430 million, will deliver 250,000 sq ft of office, leisure and retail space in the heart of the Capital, helping to stimulate the renewal of the West End, attract global investment and contribute to the wider success of London. 

The delivery of developments is a core part of The Crown Estate’s wider strategy across its London portfolio – which spans 10 million square feet of workspace, retail, dining, leisure and residential space – to contribute to a more accessible, diverse and sustainable city. This revitalised space will complement other works taking place across The Crown Estate’s central London portfolio, including the ‘Park to Park’ project being delivered in partnership with Westminster City Council to reimagine and enhance the public spaces between Regent’s Park and St James’s Park including Regent Street, Haymarket and Piccadilly Circus, and a major programme of maintenance works across the West End’s famous heritage buildings. 

Construction has started on three developments – New Zealand House, 10 Spring Gardens and 33-35 Piccadilly – as The Crown Estate works with its delivery partners to ensure that the projects create significant social, financial and environmental value for London and the wider UK. The construction phase has already seen a number of training and employment opportunities created across the three sites, reflecting a key strategic goal for The Crown Estate, as it works with the charities Breaking Barriers, Drive Forward Foundation, Under One Sky and Work While to promote accessible apprenticeships and boost green skills. 

All these projects will adhere to The Crown Estate’s enhanced Development Sustainability Principles. They set out the business’s ambitions around sustainability for all development projects throughout the design and construction phases, and are based on best practice and evidence as The Crown Estate looks to confirm its place as a market and sector leader in sustainability. These ambitions include certification targets and whole life carbon, but also extend to nature recovery and areas of social impact such as construction employment and community investment. 

Simon Harding-Roots, Managing Director, London at The Crown Estate said: “These three developments will deliver much-needed quality employment space into the heart of London’s West End. They form part of our wider investment in the future of the Capital, and complement major projects such as the extensive improvements we are making to public spaces across Regent Street, Haymarket and Piccadilly Circus with Westminster City Council. 

“Collectively, the works we are undertaking across our London portfolio are underpinned by our ambitions to make it a more accessible, sustainable and inclusive city.” 

New Zealand House 

Situated at the southern gateway to Haymarket, the Arts Quarter and St James’s Market, New Zealand House is a Grade II listed, landmark building. Opened in 1963, the building was seen as a symbol of the New Zealand Government’s post-Second World War commitment to the United Kingdom and its broader relationship with the people and government of Great Britain. 

Over 60 years ago it was a shining example of innovation and modernity, with the first fully air-conditioned office in London. The Crown Estate is working to celebrate New Zealand House’s iconic architecture and recapture its innovative status through an extensive refurbishment with a keen focus on sustainability. 90% of the structure is being retained, with steel obtained from re-use sources and 1,600 sq m of heritage finishes carefully preserved. As a result, the construction phase is anticipated to use less embodied carbon than The Crown Estate’s ambitious portfolio wide target of 400kgCO₂/m². 

The retrofit project also includes the Grade I listed Royal Opera Arcade, which is being carefully restored and enhanced. When complete, New Zealand House will deliver 138,000 sq ft of office and hospitality space overlooking Westminster to the south and Piccadilly Circus to the north. 

10 Spring Gardens 

10 Spring Gardens lies between The Mall and Trafalgar Square with views over St James’s Park. The building was constructed in 1975 for the British Council and is currently undergoing a full refurbishment, which will deliver c.80,000 sq ft of sustainable workspace, distributed over ground floor, basement and eight upper storeys. 

This project also places a high priority on sustainable design and construction, retaining over 90% of the building’s structure and façade, and minimising the use of new raw materials, whilst enhancing the quality of the office floor plates, amenity spaces and entrances.  Upon completion it is targeting a NABERS 5* rating, EPC A and BREEAM Excellent, as well as a WELL Gold Certification. 

33-35 Piccadilly 

The redevelopment of 33-35 Piccadilly will provide 3,000 sq ft of prime retail and hospitality space on the ground floor, with 30,000 sq ft of office space on the floors above, representing an 85% increase in office and retail floor space. The finished project will provide an improved connection between Regent Street and Piccadilly, while better linking St James’s Church and Jermyn Street. It is targeted to achieve a NABERS 5* rating, a WELL Platinum Certification and BREEAM Outstanding. 

Kristy Lansdown, Head of Development at The Crown Estate, said: “New Zealand House, 10 Spring Gardens and 33-35 Piccadilly represent just the start of our ambitious development plans in London as we look to create spaces and places that respond to the needs of businesses, visitors and local communities of today, and for future generations. 

“These projects will deliver world-class space that is sustainable in every sense of the word, as we work with a range of partners to create buildings with significant social and economic impact.” 

Multiplex and McLaren Construction Group have been appointed as construction partners for New Zealand House and 10 Spring Gardens respectively. KPH has been appointed to manage the initial works for 33-35 Piccadilly.