Wates gets April start date for Piccadilly Circus

Wates is set to start construction for developer Land Securities (Landsec) in April 2021 on a redevelopment of a building behind the billboards in London’s Piccadilly Circus.Landsec had been trying to work out how best to exploit the island site since acquiring freehold ownership in 2012. The solution was devised by Fletcher Priest Architects.The redevelopment of One Sherwood Street will transform the space behind the billboards into a new six-story mixed-use building with three basement levels comprising 111,000 sq ft of commercial office space, 30,000 sq ft retail space and seven new residential units.Landsec has appointed Wates as main contractor, with a contract value understood to be worth more than £100m. Wates has been given an April 2021 start date, with instructions that include: the Piccadilly Lights stay on throughout.Consulting engineer HDR Andrew Reid has been appointed as commissioning manager.