LGP hires Make for London's Hanover Sq office project

Legal & General Property has appointed Make Architects to kickstart plans for its major redevelopment of 7-10 Hanover Square, aimed at taking advantage of favourable market conditions in the Central London office market.

Hanover Square, owned by LGP's Life Fund, is a 1950s/60s office-dominated building which comprises 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) of space. It is currently let on leases which are due to expire by 2014 when LGP hopes to have secured planning for a high quality, office-based scheme. LGP proposes to commence work on site shortly after securing the full vacancy of the building and the project will target completion in 2016.

The asset forms part of the pipeline of central London, Grade A office-based projects that LGP is working on over the next few years. Earlier this year LGP unveiled plans for a £65 mln Covent Garden office development, which is expected to be delivered to the market in 2012.

It also announced in September that it had purchased 76-88 Wardour Street on behalf of its Managed Fund, where it proposes to undertake a refurbishment of the office element to deliver 33,000 sq ft of new Grade A space in Q1 2013.

Jones Lang LaSalle has been appointed to the role of development and letting agent on the scheme, whilst Mace is the project manager on the scheme, WSP Group will act as engineers and EC Harris will act as cost consultants. Gerald Eve is acting as planning consultant.