Lendlease and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have partnered to invest an initial £1.5bn (€1.7bn) in the UK build-to-rent (BTR) sector.
The partnership will begin with an investment of £450m in the next phase of new homes at Lendlease’s £2.3bn Elephant Park development in Elephant & Castle, London.
CPPIB will invest around £350m for 80% stake and Lendlease will invest the balance.
This partnership is in addition to the £800m that Lendlease has already committed to housing and infrastructure in the development and will accelerate the delivery of private rental and affordable homes.
Construction has already commenced, and the first homes in this phase are expected to be completed in 2020.
Following this initial investment, the partnership will also pursue opportunities within Lendlease’s wider residential urban regeneration activities in London and across the UK under a 50:50 joint venture.
It aims to help address the UK’s housing shortage, over time, providing thousands of homes in London and across the UK via the development, and long-term ownership, of BTR product.
Lendlease will develop, construct and manage the BTR homes on behalf of the partnership.
Dan Labbad, the CEO of Lendlease’s international operations, said: “In recent decades, structural shifts in the housing market have meant that demand has outstripped supply in the private rented sector, leading to a shortfall of homes in London and across the UK.
“Today’s announcement is a logical next step for us as a business and delivers on our strategy to grow our urban regeneration pipeline and accelerate the delivery of much-needed homes, by working with institutional capital partners to launch this new asset class for Lendlease’s investment platform.”
Andrea Orlandi, the managing director and head of real estate investments Europe at CPPIB, said: “This investment is a great opportunity for CPPIB to further diversify our European real estate portfolio, while at the same time addressing a need in the UK.
“Through this partnership, we are able to access a sector we believe is poised for long-term growth, and we are pleased to be able to do so with Lendlease, one of our existing top global partners.”
CPPIB is already a long-term global partner of Lendlease.
