Chinese builder at heart of south London rejuvenation

Wang Wei (middle), leader of CBTGC's UK team, Mark Waterstone (left) from Rosepride, and David Hudson (right), chief executive of Guildhouse UK, pose with a board printed with the One Lansdowne Road project in Croydon. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A Chinese constructor's participation in a high-profile regeneration project in South London which will include one of England's tallest residential buildings is expected to inject dynamism to local economy.

Earlier this year, China Building Technique Group Company was selected as the primary contractor of a new regeneration development in the south London borough of Croydon. The CBTGC will provide design and consultancy in engineering and construction for the half a billion pound new development, part of a massive regeneration scheme that aims to upgrade Croydon.

The partnership between CBTGC and local developers is considered an important result in China-UK cooperation in infrastructure. A memorandum of understanding on infrastructure cooperation was signed by the two governments in 2011.

"We have seen a closer relationship between the two countries at the top level recently. The partnership is a result of a growing business relationship between the two governments," says Tony Newman, the Council leader of Croydon.

Founded in 1987, China Building Technique Group Company is a subsidiary of China Academy of Building Research, the largest R&D organization in China's building industry.

Sitting on the southern edge of London, Croydon is the largest and most populous borough of the UK capital. If it was an independent city, it would be UK's 7th largest.

The new regeneration project at Lansdowne Road sits at the heart of Croydon, enjoying convenient transport infrastructure. It is only a 2-minute walk to the East Croydon railway station, from where one can go to London Bridge in 14 minutes and London Gatwick Airport in 15 minutes.

Another advantage of the new project is its proximity to shopping facilities. A new shopping center redeveloped by Westfield on the Whitgift Shopping Centre site, which is only a stone's throw from the new development, is expected to attract over 40 million visitors to Croydon each year.

"The government has been actively attracting new investment recently. We have seen see a lot of investment in infrastructure coming to Croydon over the last 12 to 20 months, including the new development contracted to CBTGC," says Tony Newman.

He stressed that the new project will not only deliver new homes but also bring growth opportunity to Croydon.

"Growth will bring growth," said the Council leader. "As new homes are built, new people will come and more jobs created. In turn, it will bring more pressure on infrastructures such as public transit and medical facilities, which means more investments are needed, both a challenge and growth opportunity for Croydon."

Croydon experienced mass development after the Second World War. After half a century, it is time for a renovation, according to David Hudson, the chief executive of Guildhouse, a local developer and the partner of CBTGC in the One Lansdowne Road project.

A sketch shows the One Lansdowne Road project in Croydon, London. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Our project will be a prestigious building for Croydon, and also for the country. It will contribute a lot to the regeneration scheme of Croydon," said David.

"As a local developer who has worked in Croydon for many years it gives me great pride to bring forward a scheme of such ambition and promise," said Mark Waterstone from Rosepride, another local developer and partner of CBTGC.

"I am delighted that we have teamed up with CBTGC and I am extremely confident that we will deliver one of the most iconic landmark schemes in London," said him.

To be finished in 2019, the One Lansdowne Road project will consist of one of the tallest residential buildings in the UK, standing at over 200 meters. It will deliver 700,000 square feet of floor space to residents once completed, a great contribution to Croydon Council's plan to offer 9,000 new homes in the next five years.

With its rich experience in large scale building, especially high-rises, CBTGC is expected to help better deliver the high-profile project in Croydon.

"CBTGC's strong reputation in high-rise building is an important reason that is was selected as the partner of the One Lansdowne Road project," says Tony Newman.

"In the UK, high-rise is a fairly new phenomenon, many people are skeptical about whether Croydon can finish such a magnificent project. But with a partner like CBTGC, we think it is deliverable," says David Hudson.

As the leader of CBTGC's UK team, Wang Wei is a Registered Professional Engineer, having managed large scale projects in New York City for more than 10 years. In 2013, he facilitated the China-UK partnership in the construction of Manchester Airport City.

Wang is among more than 4,000 overseas Chinese experts returning to their country under a national overseas talent recruitment initiative called "1000 Talent Plan".

"I came back to China in 2012 when China's building industry was experiencing rapid growth and positively tapping into foreign market. This gave me a good opportunity to help the country's building sector to go global and further develop my career," says Wang.

Wang says, together, Chinese and British contractors "formed a stronger team", coupling the huge manufacturing capacity in China with UK firms' local knowledge, connections and workforce.

"I believe that through the cooperation with our local partners in the Croydon project, we will not only bring China's building materials, but also China's technical expertise in building industry to the UK," says Wang.

CBTGC's local partners also believed the project is a mutual beneficial one.

"There are concerns that our cooperation with a Chinese company will take opportunities away from local people and businesses. But as a matter of fact, we will use local workers in the new project," says David Hudson.

He also said the project will help build the local community by providing training initiatives for young people in Croydon while delivering the project.

To contact the reporter: machi@chinadaily.com.cn