Premier Construction

James Street and Floral Street

James Street and Floral Street
Written by Roma Publications

James Street and Floral Street

James Street and Floral Street

In one of London’s trendiest areas, seven newly renovated flats are on schedule for completion in December. The developments, owned and developed by boutique investor Lothbury Investment Management, are located on the corner of James Street and Floral Street. The new apartments are aimed specifically at the rental market and vary in size to cater to a number of customer requirements.

Katharina Breuer, Associate at Cove Burgess, spoke to Premier Construction about the design of the development and the challenges that accompany a project like this:

“The brief was to provide high quality flats in a refurbished building creating a flexible mix of flat types and sizes. Lothbury have been a longstanding client and we worked closely with them to find the best mix of number and sizes of units and then took it from there.

“The flats are for the rental market, so it was quite important for the client that all the finishes were of the highest quality to ensure low on-going maintenance. It wasn’t just about first impressions; we needed durable quality that would last.

“Each unit is entered through an oak entrance door, leading to the internal corridor, from which all rooms are accessed. The wide plank oak floor throughout creates a sense of unity between the rooms.”

Katharina added:

“As part of bringing the building up to date and to reduce noise ingress from the busy roads all windows have been replaced to match the existing sash windows.”

The first three floors of the development each contain two one-bedroom flats ranging in size from 37m2 to 48m2 with the fourth floor featuring a 71m2 two-bedroom flat.

In addition to the high quality work that went into the flats in preparation for completion in December, the location of the project is also likely to lead to a high demand for occupancy. Situated just a few steps from Covent Garden, the flats are surrounded by some of London’s best restaurants, museums and shops. Floral Street in particular is home to a number of high profile fashion stores such as Ted Baker, Paul Smith and Radley. Transport links are also excellent meaning the theatre district is only a short journey away.

As is the case with many projects taking place in existing buildings, a number of challenges have emerged over the course of the development. The replacement of all windows required permission from Westminster City Council, a process that is rarely straightforward while the tight site meant storing materials was tricky. Katharina commented that any problems were quickly solved through strong teamwork with the main contractor, Virtus Contracts.

James Street and Floral Street

Cove Burgess is a London based architectural practice who work with property professionals on maximising the value of their investments. Virtus Contracts has a wealth of construction management experience and undertake office refits and refurbishments, interior design, property construction and alteration projects as well as contract management.

With construction on schedule for completion before the end of the year, Katharina is pleased with what has been achieved and the opportunities the project has provided for Cove Burgess:

“I think it is a very nice example of creative redevelopment of an existing building in a prime location. It has been a great chance to work with a very old building and to seamlessly integrate 21st century M&E technology into it.”

 

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Roma Publications