Kier lined up for £70m scheme close to Shakespeare’s Globe

Kier is closing in on another commercial scheme in London with the firm understood to be favourite for a £70m office job close to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.The firm is believed to have seen off remaining rival ISG for the project at 135 Park Street which is being developed by LBS Properties.Work involves knocking down a three-storey building, put up in the 1980s, and replacing it with a 12-storey block designed by Squire & Partners. It will run across 134,000 sq ft of office space as well as 13,000 sq ft of affordable workspace. It will have 1,500 sq ft of café and retail at ground floor level.The design and build deal is believed to be worth around £70m with others working on the scheme including project manager Colliers, structural engineer Heyne Tillet Steel and M&E consultant GDM.In planning documents submitted to Southwark council explaining the reasons for the scheme, the developer said “the existing internal office space is dated, not fit for purpose and does not lend itself to occupation by a modern office tenant”.It was submitted for planning at the beginning of 2019 and was given the green light at the end of that year.Kier, which is expected to start on site later this summer, is cementing a reputation as an emerging force on London commercial jobs between £50m and £70m.Recent wins include a £50m, mainly residential scheme for Stanhope, a £50m mixed-use scheme for developer CO-RE in London’s West End while the firm has pipped Sir Robert McAlpine for a £60m scheme on Tottenham Court Road for Derwent.