Balfour Beatty is running late on a high-rise in south London, after a subcontractor walked out on the project.
The premier contractor was awarded a £197 million contract by Muse Developments to build the second phase of Lewisham Gateway in July 2020. The project comprises four buildings containing 649 homes, retail and leisure spaces.
The plan was originally slated for completion in the summer of 2023, but is now expected to be completed in 2024, according to Muse.
A cladding subcontractor working on the facade, Prater, left the project in September. Construction news understands the company removed its materials from the site, which will take months to re-acquire.
A spokesman for Balfour Beatty said: “We can confirm that Prater is no longer engaged to deliver the external façade to the Lewisham Gateway phase two project.
“We remain committed to the successful delivery of the program and will work hard to deliver any outstanding work as soon as possible.”
Plans for a nine-screen cinema at the show have also been hit by Empire Cinemas going into administration. The company had signed a pre-lease for the premises but it collapsed in July.
Muse said she remained committed to building the film.
The second phase of Lewisham Gateway, also known as Newton Place, will consist of 649 rental homes: 424 at market rent; 106 affordable homes; and 119 cohabitation homes. The flats will be let by rental operator Get Living.
The phase also includes the cinema, a gym, 900 square meters of offices, 2,300 square meters of retail space and 1,400 square meters of food and beverage space.
Lewisham Gateway was granted outline planning permission in 2009, with the second phase receiving detailed permission in 2019. The first phase has now been completed.
Statement of Muse
“Lewisham Gateway is a transformative regeneration project that will connect Lewisham town center with its transport hub and create a new neighbourhood, with over 1,000 new homes, new public squares, a new nightlife district and much more.
“We have worked closely with Lewisham Council and its partners to overcome challenges over the nearly 20-year life of the development, including the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic. The first phase of the development has now been completed, and work on phase two is progressing under the experienced leadership of Balfour Beatty.Given the scale and ambition of Lewisham Gateway, we now expect the project to be completed in the summer of 2024, in line with a timetable of updated delivery.
“On completion, Lewisham Gateway will create a new beating heart for the neighborhood that brings the community together. This includes a new cinema, which we remain committed to delivering. We are in live talks with the administrators of Empire Cinemas, who had previously agreed to lease the cinema on site, and we’ll share more updates as appropriate.
“We are in close contact with Lewisham Council and our partners as works on site continue to progress.”
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