Developer to follow Olympic village procurement model for 418ha Thames Gateway scheme

Land Securities is planning to pick architects for its 10,000-home Ebbsfleet Valley development using the same type of framework competition as Lend Lease is using at its Olympic village site.

The 418ha Ebbsfleet development is to become the economic and social hub of the north Kent area of the Thames Gateway. No architect has yet been appointed to it, but it is understood that Arup Urban Design has been conducting preliminary studies.

Steve McGuckin, Land Securities鈥� development director, said: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to create high-density, high-volume resi. We want to create something quite different and exciting.鈥�

The model for the selection process is likely to be the Olympic village framework. Lend Lease selected 47 practices for this in August, including emerging firms such as McChesney Architects and 6a Architects. It also picked established designers such as Feilden Clegg Bradley.

Ebbsfleet will be one of the catalysts for the regeneration of the Thames Gateway, comprising 10,000 homes and 6.3 million ft2 of commercial space.

Land Secs is reorganising its project management team after announcing its intention to split into three separate companies. It is understood that, as a part of this, McGuckin will head the delivery of Ebbsfleet. He will also continue to head Project RIO, the developer鈥檚 shake-up of its supply-chain.

Postscript

McGuckin would not comment on his role at Ebbsfleet.

鈥� Land Securities has been told to reduce the height of two towers planned for Victoria station in London by almost a third. Westminster councillors said last week that the 134m towers, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, would block views of Buckingham Palace.

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