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He may be best known for filling the airwaves with infuriatingly catchy yet strangely mechanical pop music, but now Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman has turned his idiosyncratic talents to a new venture 鈥� turning a famous London landmark into a bustling media community.

Waterman bought a quarter of the County Hall site on London鈥檚 South Bank in 2002 and last Thursday he was on hand to welcome hoards of estate agents to the newly opened County Hall Quarter.

Waterman was in typically ebullient mood when explaining his latest enterprise: 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a community, a creative village,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his building was a government building, full of people doing mundane jobs. Let鈥檚 take out the staidness. No matter how you look at it, this is an institution. We just want to make it an institution for the mentally insane. That鈥檚 what we are.鈥�

The former headquarters of the Greater London council, which totals about 93,000m2, was abandoned by the local authority in 1986 and lay empty until Japanese company Shirayama bought its freehold in 1993.

Nine years later, enter Waterman 鈥� the man behind Kylie and Rick Astley 鈥� and his company, Cadogan Entertainment, which acquired the lease for about 29,000m2 of the western part of the building, and marked it out as a space for creative businesses to thrive.

鈥淲e could have already sold the space to call centres, but what would be the point in us being here? said Waterman, who moved his studios into the building last year. 鈥淪hirayama could have done that years ago.鈥�

To woo the creative businesses Waterman is targeting, and keep the call centres at bay, extensive work had to be done on the former council office鈥檚 interior to 鈥渢ake out the staidness鈥�. The resulting 拢3.5m refurbishment includes atriums and wall-climbing lifts.

We want to make it an institution for the mentally insane, because that鈥檚 what we are

Waterman鈥檚 enthusiasm for the Grade II*-listed building is, characteristically, limitless.

鈥淭he space is awe-inspiring. It鈥檚 enormous. The point is, there are no rules.鈥�

If this last point sounds like the words of a man who hasn鈥檛 entirely swapped pop for property, Jit Chauhan, Cadogan鈥檚 managing director, explained: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no point in me and Pete putting in escalators, because we don鈥檛 know who the next tenants are going to be. This building needs somebody to come in here with imagination and not just look at what鈥檚 already here.鈥�

Despite taking on County Hall, Waterman and Chauhan insist they are not property developers.

鈥淚鈥檓 not interested in property development at all,鈥� says Waterman. 鈥淭his is more of a business development. We鈥檙e here for the long-term.鈥�

Waterman鈥檚 vision is clearly at odds with the views of some of the estate agents who came to see County Hall Quarter, which is already home to the British Phonographic Industry.

鈥淭hose who came and looked around this morning fell into two categories,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hose who asked how many toilets there were on the floor, and those who looked up and went, 鈥榃ow! amazing鈥�. Those who asked where the toilets were missed the point. They can have as many toilets as they want.

If Walt Disney wanted to bring his accounts department, he鈥檚 not coming 鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to think out of the box with this building. If you come in here and ask where the toilets are, you鈥檙e in the box.鈥�

Waterman said that he got the idea for his 鈥渃reative village鈥� in Sweden where the government gave young, aspiring producers a bursary to rent offices. They then had to run their businesses out of those offices and pay the rent.

鈥淚t was a hand-out of a different sort,鈥� said Waterman. 鈥淭he Swedes went on to take the whole world鈥檚 record industry by the scruff of the neck,鈥� said Waterman. 鈥淚 thought what a great idea this is, and like all good ideas, you pinch them.鈥�

Waterman and Chauhan stress that they will be flexible about terms if the right tenants approach them.

鈥淚f somebody comes to us and says: 鈥業鈥檝e got this great idea, I want one office and a desk鈥�, we鈥檒l say, 鈥楬ey, let鈥檚 have a look at it鈥�,鈥� says Waterman.

鈥淚f Walt Disney wanted to bring his accounts department, he鈥檚 not coming. If he wants to bring his accounts and creative department, he鈥檚 in next week.鈥�

鈥淎nd,鈥� interrupts Chauhan, 鈥渋f he wants to come in and bring his accounts, creative department and maybe a little museum, then he鈥檇 be here yesterday.鈥�