Reuben brothers plan new tower
THE BILLIONAIRE Reuben brothers’ property firm has applied for planning permission for a 42-storey tower in the Paddington Basin, ramping up its redevelopment plan for the area.
European Land and Property, a joint venture between the Reubens’ firm Aldersgate and the Jarvis family trust Pearcroft, altered its planning application earlier this month to include the new tower, which has already been nicknamed “the Cucumber”.
The 140m-tall development would have enough space for 222 flats and a 90-room hotel on the 1 Merchant Square site, according to documents filed with Westminster Council.
If construction goes ahead, the Robin Partington-designed building will be the tallest in Westminster.
The firm has finished most of its redevelopment work at Paddington Basin, which is now home to the head offices of Orange and Marks & Spencer, as well as the Paddington Walk apartments. Around 100,000 square feet of office space was recently put on the market, with DTZ and Jones Lang LaSalle acting as leasing agents.
There are also several rother esidential blocks completed near the Grand Union Canal, which are being marketed by King Sturge.
European Land and Property won planning permission for an earlier guise of the 42-storey mixed-use development in 2007, after months of wrangling with Westminster Council, which still needs to approve the new plans.
The company has been working on the 3.2 acre site since 2006, shortly after government plans for a new hospital fell through as development costs spiralled.