British Land’s latest addition to its City office development programme, Ropemaker, has received planning approval from Islington Council.
The revised consent for the 1.2 acre (0.5 ha) site on Ropemaker Street near Moorgate is for a 20-storey building of 593,000 sq ft (55,091 sq m), comprising office and retail space.
The building will offer a variety of floorplate sizes, including 42,500 sq ft (3,948 sq m) dealing floors at the lower level. British Land bought the site in March 2006 for £130m with planning consent for a 505,000 sq ft (46,916 sq m) development.
‘In acquiring Ropemaker we saw the opportunity to secure an improved consent for a bigger and better building,’ said Nigel Webb, head of developments.
‘Having secured planning consent we are committed to building out the development speculatively and will deliver it to the market in 2009. We are already on site having received planning consent for basement works last year.’
Ropemaker will be a Green building. The design has focused on reducing carbon by extensive use of heat recovery and an external elevation treatment that minimises solar gain. The use of biofuel boilers, solar water heating and photovoltaic panels will displace 10% of carbon emissions and 20% of energy used in the building.
Green roofs, which are a feature of the design, will provide an outdoor amenity area for occupiers, as well as new ecological habitats for animal and plant life. Rainwater will be recovered from the roof areas, reducing the demand for water from the mains.
The building has also been developed to maximise the scope for recycling materials and provides excellent facilities for cyclists. Recycled and sustainable materials are being used wherever possible.
