Linkcity, the international property development arm of the Bouygues Group, has signed a deal to create a large new £410 mln (€476 mln) scheme in Hounslow Town centre, on the edge of London, which will include new homes, council offices, a library and a café.
Linkcity is undertaking the development with two partners: the Notting Hill Housing Trust and Hounslow Council. According to the agreement just signed by the three partners, the Notting Hill Housing Trust will develop the residential element of the scheme, while Linkcity will develop the new civic building and community centre.
The new civic building will be built on a new site in Bath Road in Hounslow town centre. The new modern offices will be shared by the Council, the police and the health services, with an emphasis on ‘creating a welcoming, customer-focused environment, designed with the community in mind,’ the company said.
Sheppard Robson has been chosen as the architect for the civic centre, library and café complex, while Bouygues UK will act as the main contractor for the office project, with construction beginning this month.
'This significant project will create a modern, efficient and agile work space for the council, together with enhanced public spaces for the benefit of the local community,' said Nicolas Guérin, managing director of Linkcity. 'The agreements signed formalise the ownership structure of this major new development, enabling work to start on a contemporary new civic building with a library and café, as well as 919 high-quality new homes. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to bring this scheme to life.'
The residential development will be built on the site of the current civic centre on Lampton Road. The development of ten buildings varying between three and nine storeys will provide 919 new homes, which will include affordable housing.
The residential units will be a mixture of studio flats and one, two and three-bedroom apartments designed by Allies and Morrison Architects, which main contractor Bouygues UK will start building ‘imminently’.
‘This is an exciting and highly significant project, delivering private and affordable new homes in a fantastic park-side location,’ said John Hughes, Group Development Director for Notting Hill Housing. 'Working with our partners to deliver our shared vision of a high-quality integrated community, we are confident that this new landmark development will be a great success and we look forward to welcoming the first residents in two years' time.'
Hounslow Council said it has been working hard towards the delivery of much-needed new homes and now is pleased to have finalised the agreement. 'As an added bonus, the borough will also benefit from a fantastic community-focused civic building which will allow us to improve our services to residents,' said Councillor Steve Curran. 'It will support more efficient ways of working, while also reducing costs by moving to a smaller, more efficient building.'
