Sellar Group, on behalf of Great Western Developments, has announced that construction has begun on Paddington Square - an £825m transformation of the Paddington Station area.
Paddington Square, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, will incorporate 360,000 sq ft of prime office space, 75,220 sq ft of world-class retail and dining space, a 13,650 sq ft rooftop restaurant and a new 1.35 acre public square.
The development will also deliver a much-needed £65m investment into London’s transport infrastructure that will provide a new Bakerloo Line ticket hall in Paddington Station.
At the heart of Paddington Square, a Piano-designed office building will rise 14 floors above street level, with unrivalled views across Hyde Park and central London. Like Sellar’s previous landmark building designed by Renzo Piano – The Shard – the Paddington Square building will be designed to the highest standards, appealing to international and blue-chip occupiers.
The building will also incorporate five floors of retail, mixing global, independent, high street and heritage brands, as well as high quality restaurants and eateries.
Paddington Square is located on the doorstep of what will be one of London’s most integrated transport hubs with the imminent arrival of the Elizabeth line, enabling fast and direct links between Heathrow, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf.
The scheme will also bring about the pedestrianisation of London Street, enabling a direct pedestrian link between the mainline station and Paddington Square, which, together with the new Bakerloo line entrances, will eradicate the rush hour traffic that has beset the area for years.
It is estimated Paddington’s local economy will benefit by as much as £350m a year following completion of Paddington Square, while the development will bring approximately 4,500 new jobs to the area.
James Sellar, CEO of Sellar, said: “Paddington Square sits as the centrepiece of the transformation of Paddington. In starting construction on site we now move into an exciting new chapter for the development.
“Our ambition is to deliver something of true value for London which celebrates the best of design, retail, workspace and dining in one of the most connected parts of the city. Paddington has always been a gateway to London and a centre of innovation, and we look forward to creating a scheme that is a reflection of both a forward-thinking area, and a future-facing city.”
The piling and basement box phase of construction is expected to be completed by summer 2020. Mace will then formally begin construction of the main Paddington Square office building, with completion of the scheme anticipated by 2022.
