The Sky Pool, a global feat of design and manufacturing innovation, has officially opened at Embassy Gardens in London’s Nine Elms. The world’s largest free-standing clear acrylic pool structure sits high above the ground at tenth storey level, forming a transparent aqueduct spanning 15 metres between two new apartment buildings.

The buildings are part of the second phase of the mixed use Embassy Gardens scheme (EcoWorld Ballymore) on a high profile site close to the new US Embassy and the River Thames. The developers brought an international team of experts together to create the pool, working with architects HAL Architects and Arup Associates, structural engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan and US manufacturer Reynolds Polymer Technology. For all involved in the project, the pool’s opening marks the culmination of six years of collaboration to tackle the numerous challenges involved in designing, engineering and manufacturing this highly innovative structure.

The groundbreaking design concept grew out of a conversation between HAL Architects and Ballymore chairman and group chief executive Sean Mulryan. “We were dealing with the practical question of how to put a 25 metre swimming pool on the roof. A single pool of that size would not have fitted on one building,” explains Hal Currey, founder of HAL Architects. “We had a meeting with Sean and the idea of creating the pool as an aqueduct came up and Sean said: ‘If we’re going to do it, then let’s do it properly and make it transparent’.”

The conversation could have ended there. “It was one of those rash ideas that you don’t expect to happen,” says Currey. “But Sean really embraced it.”

Initially, the designers looked at making the pool in steel and glass, but when Eckersley O’Callaghan joined the design team, they suggested using acrylic instead of glass. Acrylic has been used to create some of the world’s biggest and most famous modern aquaria, including a water slide tube through a shark tank in Las Vegas. “The move from glass to acrylic was integral to the project and the final design,” says Currey. “Glass would have involved numerous complexities and fixings. Acrylic allowed us to get rid of a lot of architectural hardware. In terms of clarity and transparency, it allowed us to get close to the original idea. But we didn’t know when we created the first image of the design that it would be possible to use acrylic.”

That first computer generated image showing a view from the ground up to a clear blue pool had been published in the Evening Standard newspaper in London in 2017, exciting global interest. “The intention was to keep the design simple. It had to look as transparent as possible and appear as effortless as possible,” says Currey. Acrylic offered aesthetic benefits as it appears colourless, its refractive index would give the impression of it blending with the water and joints in the structure would not be visible. An acrylic pool would still, however, be complex to design and build. “We faced a combination of challenges: the transparency, the acrylic and spanning the two buildings,” explains Currey.

The final design comprises a 15 metre long acrylic section sitting in steel ‘tubs’ at either end, the tubs providing a base for the pool and also housing the pool steps and essentials such as cleaning equipment and lighting. Bridge bearings under the tubs allow the pool to move as the two buildings on which it sits move. The only other steelwork in the pool structure is the two discreet post-tensioned rods running under the side walls, which help secure the tubs to the acrylic without needing to drill into the latter.

Colorado-based expert in acrylic fabrication Reynolds Polymer Technology played a crucial part in refining the design. Currey gives one example: “The original design had two downstand acrylic beams, but they were removed as the construction evolved. So the pool actually became more aligned to its original design concept.”

The fabricator had to refine its own quality and fabrication processes – and temporarily extend its production facility – in order to deliver the large and exacting project. “Building a pool for London in Colorado was not the easiest thing to do. We were very much in Reynolds’ hands,” says Currey. The pool floor is made of seven cast acrylic panels, joined to create the 15 metre span, and has 3.2 metre high side walls. The overall structure contains 148,000 litres of water, giving a depth of 1.2 metres.

Delivering this project has inevitably been a long and testing process. “There were many times when I thought it wouldn’t happen,” admits Currey. Now that it is complete, he says, “I’m fairly amazed it’s there. I feel a mix of relief and a sense of achievement. The most gratifying thing is that it looks better than it did in the early computer generated images.”

The pool has an obvious value to its location, says Currey. “There are all sorts of things it brings to Embassy Gardens – people talk about it and want to know about it and you hope there will be a social value as a congregation point for residents.” Embassy Gardens’ Sky Deck bar and restaurant on either side of the pool maximise the pool’s social potential.

For the construction industry, the project has value in adding to understanding of the application of non-traditional materials like acrylic. Currey also praises Sean Mulryan for remaining true to his initial vision. “In our industry we are so used to seeing designs value engineered,” he says. “It is not often that you have an idea that gets so fully supported by the client in this way.”

Global drinks giant Diageo has named Ballymore as its development partner to create a visionary neighbourhood for living, entrepreneurship, creativity and commerce at the St James’s Gate site of the Guinness brewery in Dublin. The move will see an iconic site with a rich heritage become a standard bearer for the city’s future, as Dublin’s first zero carbon district.

Diageo began its search for a development partner in 2017 and selected Ballymore following a rigorous selection process. Oliver Loomes, Managing Director of Diageo Ireland, said, “Since our announcement in 2017 we have been committed to doing it right and know that Ballymore share our vision for the future of the site. We look forward to partnering with them on this exciting project. Our ambition is also to work with the Iveagh Trust, one of Dublin’s largest social housing providers, as a partner in this project.”

Ballymore comes to this project with a track record in such complex regeneration developments as London City Island and Old Spitalfields Market, in London. Ballymore Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Mulryan said, “We are truly honoured to have been chosen as Diageo’s development partner for the Guinness Quarter. With 40 years of experience in delivering complex urban regeneration sites, in city centre locations across Europe, we are confident we have the team to deliver. I am looking forward to leading the team in bringing this special place to life.”

Diageo and Ballymore will now work with the local community and stakeholders to develop the shared vision for the regeneration of the 12.6 acre site. “It is unusual for a drink to mean so much to so many, but Guinness has become far more than a brand. It has become a symbol for Ireland: an icon of heritage for people all over the world,” continued Mulryan. “St James’s Gate has over 260 years of history, and so, we have a unique responsibility to ensure that when that famous gate opens, it opens to a place synonymous with good times and memorable experiences.”

Opening up the site’s gates to welcome in the public is one aspect of the regeneration vision, alongside the creation of new public spaces for this area of the city and preserving and breathing new life into valued heritage assets. The zero carbon ambition will see existing buildings assessed for potential re-use and renewable energy potential explored. “Working together, Diageo, Ballymore, the local community and Dublin City Council will establish a new part of Dublin City for future generations, that supports Ireland’s growth economically, socially, and culturally,” said Mulryan.

The St James’s Gate brewery has been the home of Guinness since 1759 and was once known as a ‘city within a city’, which boasted its own railway line, medical department and fire brigade. Under the regeneration, the site will remain at the heart of the local community, while also boosting the regeneration of its Liberties area location and the broader city.

The Guinness brand’s links with its historic home will also very much remain, as Diageo Ireland’s Loomes explained: “Diageo will continue to be present in the area as our Irish headquarters will be located at St James’s Gate, alongside our brewery, the new Roe & Co distillery, the Guinness Storehouse and the Open Gate Brewery. This demonstrates our confidence and commitment to the Guinness Quarter.”

London’s newest Thames pier was opened to the public this week and appropriately provided the location for Transport for London (TfL) to announce its new strategy aimed at expanding the river’s pier network.

The new pier at Ballymore and Oxley’s Royal Wharf is London’s longest and the 23rd serviced by the Thames Clippers riverboat service. The cutting edge design with its grey painted steel structure and distinctive copper-coloured balustrading was created by architect Nex and has already been recognised in this year’s New London Awards. The structure was built in Holland and transported some 300 miles by water to its final location, alongside the burgeoning community at Royal Wharf.

Local residents and visitors can now all enjoy the pier’s promenade and glazed viewing platform, taking in the sights and sounds of the Thames. But above all, the pier makes a key contribution to sustainable travel in east London, bringing popular destinations within easy reach. Residents from Royal Wharf and the wider Newham community using Royal Wharf Pier will be able to travel via the Thames Clipper to Canary Wharf in just 23 minutes, while the Tower of London is 34 minutes away.

The new pier could be the shape of things to come. The new Passenger Pier Strategy sets out how TfL, the Port of London Authority, boat operators and other stakeholders plan to double the number of trips taken by river each year to 20 million by 2035, reducing car use and freeing up capacity on other public transport. Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport said of the launch of the strategy: “The Thames is one of London’s major assets and our Pier Strategy will enable us to maximise its potential fully. By improving our piers and making them more accessible and appealing, we will encourage many more Londoners to travel by river – helping reduce car use, ease congestion and improve air quality.”

The strategy proposes that TfL and the Port of London Authority encourage the delivery of more privately funded, developer-led piers to help increase passenger potential. Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive of the Port of London Authority, said: “This new strategy is a key step in continuing safe and sustainable growth in passenger use of the River Thames – whether that’s for Londoners, UK or overseas visitors – the river offers something for everyone. Investment in modern and attractive passenger piers is central to that future growth and great customer experience.”

That could see more developers following the example being set at Royal Wharf, providing homes and sustainable travel in an integrated approach.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman & Group Chief Executive, Ballymore, said: “The new pier having launched for public service is an incredible achievement for all involved, and a great addition for Royal Wharf and Newham residents. We are delivering 3,385 new homes here in east London – which is in essence a new town, ultimately for 10,000 residents across 40 acres. This isn’t just a new build development for the people that live here, it brings a lot for the whole borough. The vision for the neighbourhood is being realised here, with the Royal Wharf Community Dock now open too, plus an NHS health centre, new nursery and primary school all on the way.”

Beautiful Malahide is a coastal community in one of Dublin’s most sought-after suburbs and Ballymore is onsite here creating an entirely new neighbourhood at Seamount Rise. Here, we meet Aislinn Geraghty who tells us why this is her family's ‘forever home’. 

In late 2022, the first residents began moving into the newly created Ballymore houses at Seamount Rise – our new coastal development for Dublin. Demand had long been high for these homes, with waiting lists of local people eager to secure one of our high-quality homes in this emerging neighbourhood by the sea.

Among them was 39-year-old Aislinn Geraghty. The Malahide native moved to London in 2011, but family circumstances prompted her to move back to the place she called home. “In 2021 our youngest son contracted meningitis,” Aislinn explains. “We happened to be visiting family in Ireland at the time, and the support we received while he was being treated just made me realise how important it is to be close to family and extended family support.”

Thankfully with son Finn fully recovered, Aislinn and Mark set about moving the family – including oldest son Marshall (4) from their then home in Upminster back to Ireland. “Mark has always lived in England; I met him when I moved over to London through work, he was happy to try something new and uproot the family – seeing the benefit of raising the boys around their extended family in Ireland.” 

In early 2022 the hunt for a new home began, with Aislinn making journeys across the Irish Sea to view potential homes. It proved a difficult process as, she says, the market was “crazy”. Instead of considering in-demand new-builds, they initially began looking at older properties in Portmarnock and Malahide – areas where their support network is based. 

Soon though Aislinn’s head was turned by Seamount Rise, which she says “just stood out”. She adds. “I knew of Ballymore from my time in London. The company had very distinct marketing around the city, and I always thought highly of the work they were doing over there. 

“When I went to see Seamount Rise, I thought I knew what to expect based on that, but I was blown away with the level of detail and design – better than any comparable other new builds I’d seen.”

The buoyancy of the market in 2022 meant that appetite was shared by many others. Aislinn continued: “I really wasn’t hopeful at all that we’d get a home here. We knew the waiting lists were long and the interest was high, so I viewed but tried to restrain myself. Thankfully though, the home we wanted – lucky number 7 – was available and I just acted there and then, putting a deposit down. 

“Thankfully Mark understood when I called him back in England to say I’d made the decision.”

The only compromise Mark had to make was the garden, giving up his unusually large green space in Upminster, something Aislinn said he came to terms with on seeing the house at Seamount: “We have more outdoor space to enjoy in the community here – not just a great garden where we can host parties and create play spaces for the boys, but also the added bonus of the beach just 20 minutes’ walk away and Malahide Castle just 10 minutes from our front door!.” 

Fortunately, their employers in London were equally supportive of the move; Aislinn and Mark both work in the insurance sector and their requests to transfer to Ireland were swiftly accepted by forward-thinking companies. The pair now hybrid work, with Operations Director Mark regularly returning to London. 

Their main base though is the semi-detached four-bedroom home at Seamount Rise that the family moved into late last year. There’s a master suite occupied by Aislinn and Mark, bedrooms for each of the boys and a fourth room that’s used as a guest bedroom and office – helpful for Mark and Aislinn on the days they work at home. 

Aislinn loves the space the home offers the family, with larger rooms than they had in the UK and an ensuite that makes her “feel as if I’m in a hotel every morning”. She continues: “The kitchen-diner area is unreal. It’s so spacious and great to let the kids run around in; they didn’t have that at our old house. I can’t wait to fling the sliding doors open in the summer and have friends over to share the space. 

“We’re big on entertaining and that hub of the home was a huge appeal and one of the reasons we had to go for the house. It’s great to be able to have family and friends over and know we have a lovely space to host in, makes it easy. We also have room for Mark’s family to come and stay whenever they want which was high on our wish list.” 

Among those they’re planning to host are family and friends who live close by; Aislinn’s mum and dad live just minutes away in Malahide while her cousins and brothers all live in surrounding areas, but it’s the new friendships that are helping Aislinn each day too. “I hadn’t fully appreciated the collective experience of moving into a new-build development. It’s not like buying and older house, where we would literally the new kids on the block, trying to make our way into long-established neighbourhood friendship groups; here we’re all in the same boat. Everyone has moved in at the same time, so we’re all open to friendships and getting to know each other.

“It’s honestly fantastic to meet new people, see old school friends from back when I used to live in Malahide, and establish the kids in this emerging community.”

Now as they settle in, the couple are adding their own personal touches to the home, including the creation of new storage areas, work to the garden, a new built-in TV unit, a bike store at the side of the property, and some decorating to add their own colour schemes. “We think this is our forever home,” she adds, “how could it not be? I love everything about living here. I hadn’t appreciated Malahide when I was younger, but this community is everything to me and my boys now.

“Every day I just feel so lucky to call Seamount Rise my home.” 

This is the final article in our series International Women’s Day, articles in which we meet just some of the great women who help make Ballymore the business it is today. Our final feature of this series focuses on Senior Design Manager Ruphina and Nicola Zech-Berens – a project director in London. 

Ruphina Choe is currently working on designs for The Brentford Project; here the 43-year-old mother of one tells us about her experiences as a woman in the construction industry. 

“Diversity in any business is crucial to great outcomes, and it’s great that we have events like International Women’s Day to help highlight the work that women do and our quest for equity.

“We are definitely reaching a point of more parity now, but it’s not always been this way. I only have to think back 20 years ago when I was whistled at onsite as a graduate architect. I was a minority then, and that lack of female representation means the objectification was allowed to happen. 

“We’re eradicating those attitudes now and I largely feel supported in my work at Ballymore. Life is a juggling act as I raise my 21-month-old son Giorgio – a lockdown baby – and my work at The Brentford Project, but I succeed thanks to positivity, patience and persistency. I had to draw on those three tenets a lot as I made my way back into work after I had Giorgio. It was a challenging time and that ‘return to work’ burden is something largely placed on mothers, but I’m motivated so much by what I do and that drove me forward then as it does now.

“Representation is key, and I hope that International Women’s Day will help bring more great role models to the fore, encouraging more women to unleash their dreams without fear. As a woman of Korean, New Zealand and British heritage – with an Italian husband – I’m a big advocate for representation in all its forms.” 

London-based Project Director Nicola Zech-Berens gives some final, inspiring words on International Women’s Day and how women can have it all. 

“At every turn women are under pressure to choose. Do we want a family? A career? Or do we want to have it all?  

“Of course we can have it all. Yes, it is can be challenging to have a family and a career, but it’s not impossible. The key is establishing your own set of life rules and not delaying milestones such as having a family – there’s never a right time so if you want to do it, do it now! 

“I also think women are being helped in the workplace by technology; while the last three years have been challenging in so many ways, they’ve proved that we can work from wherever we choose – making the logistics of long hours and children all the more possible.  

“This approach has definitely helped my career; I soon made peace with the fact that there would be compromises – whether that was the inequality I encountered in the early days, to making financial sacrifices as I had to do with maternity pay – even the simple things like accepting my kids might have creases in their school uniform! I quickly learned to forgive myself and be proud of what I’d achieved both at home and at work.

“I do sustain a lot of pressures at work; I’m a project director in our Ballymore development team, currently planning some exciting projects in the capital - new developments like Deanston Wharf, Thames Road Quarter / UNEX, Knights Road and, my current favourite, Bishopsgate Goodsyard.  

“This sector continues to be dominated by men, and I often find myself the only woman in the room, but I work hard to show what I can do. A project with the gravitas of Bishopsgate helps this. I feel respected and valued by my Ballymore colleagues and my ideas and opinions and supported and considered.

“But I’ve been in this sector for a long time and am speaking from a place of having already earned the respect of others. That’s the part I’d encourage any women moving into the sector to focus on; believe in yourself and invest in yourself so that when you come to the table you have valid ideas that are seriously debated – and taken forward!

“International Women’s Day helps shine a spotlight on the great women of the world; it’s an opportunity to seek out new role models and mentors who can help you in career. Supporting each other is our best route forward as we continue to amplify our voices.”

All this week, we're marking International Women’s Day - introducing you to just some of the great women in our workforce. Today we focus on Rachel Hoy and Kelly O’Shea, two of our colleagues in Dublin who talk us through their work and home lives. 

Rachel Hoy is steering delivery of our Sea Gardens mixed use neighbourhood in Bray as Senior Development Manager.

“Over the course of my career in construction – I’m 37 now - I’ve seen the growth in the numbers of women both working in the industry and occupying more senior technical and project management roles, like mine. 

“I’m a Senior Development Manager, based in Dublin and currently working on our exciting mixed-use development, Sea Gardens in nearby Bray. As a development manager, I’m involved in all stages of the development process: identifying land opportunities, acquiring sites, financial appraisals, obtaining planning permissions and working alongside the design, construction, marketing and sales teams, right through to the very end of a development. Every day in my role is different and that’s why I love it!

“I moved to Dublin just over four years ago, after establishing a successful career in the UK, where I’d worked in London and the north-west of England and built a great network of contacts and knowledge of the UK property market. When I came to Dublin I’d no contacts and had to learn about the property market from scratch. Since then, I’ve worked for high profile developers and achieved success through winning competitive tenders and securing planning consents on major schemes. Starting my career over again in a new country has been my biggest professional achievement to date.

I’ve never felt that I’ve encountered inequality and not been afforded the same opportunities as men in my career. I believe that, if anything, being a woman in this industry has made me stand out and that has always been a positive.

“What I have found challenging at times is gender stereotyping; men are praised for being assertive, while women are deemed “emotional” for displaying the same assertiveness. That can be frustrating.

“My advice to women in the industry is to support and encourage other women. I’m blessed to have been in the same room as some amazing, strong-minded, intelligent and driven women and I’ve worked alongside them on some great projects, which has been a real privilege.  

“I would also advise anyone encountering inequality in the industry to call it out. I think a lot of bias is actually subconscious, so communication is key to education to help resolve inequality.

“I feel supported as a person working in this industry – rather than as a woman specifically. That’s down to the companies I’ve worked for and the positive cultures they promote, supporting men and women equally, which is exactly as it should be.” 

8^th Lock site administrator Kelly O’Shea (39) moved to Dublin in 2018, and has since made a life and a career for herself in the city. 

“I love working for Ballymore, and it was hugely rewarding to see Dublin Landings – my first development with the company – come to fruition.

“I’ve long worked in what traditionally might be male-dominated sectors, working initially in oil and gas before moving to Ballymore in 2018 when I made the bold move to leave my home in Waterford to set up a new life for myself. 

“It was hard, as I moved into a house with people I didn’t know, and started making friends! Fast forward to 2023 and I’m working at 8^th Lock, I’ve moved into a house with a woman who’s become a great friend, and I’ve even earned myself a regular place in the Clontarf FC Rugby Team.

“It all comes down to belief in yourself and confidence. I knew I needed to make friends here so I plucked up the courage to walk into Clontarf and ask for a place. It’s a sport I knew and I used that to my advantage to establish a new social network for myself. It’s the same at work; I’ve just thrown myself into it, working as hard as I can and making new friends. 

“I’ve had my knocks though – and I don’t just mean on the rugby field! I certainly experienced inequality when I worked in the oil and gas sector. It was disheartening, but I think, and hope, things are changing now, and I’ve certainly never experienced anything that’s made me feel inferior while I’ve been at Ballymore, where I feel supported by all colleagues – men and women. 

“My way through the down times was just to always be unapologetically real; being myself has helped me earn the respect of others. Showing a willingness to learn and gain lots of experience helps too, and I’m lucky enough to have worked on a few of our developments overseeing the administration onsite – now splitting my weeks between 8^th Lock and Seamount Rise in Malahide. It’s giving me the opportunity to meet more people and get involved in more of Ballymore’s work.”

This week we are celebrating International Women’s Day, meeting just some of the great women who help make Ballymore the business it is today. 

We’ve selected some of our female colleagues in the UK and Ireland, sharing their stories throughout the week. Today, we start with Suzanne Hussey (42), who works as Project Manager in Dublin, and Lynnette Uzell – who works in our customer care team in London.

Here Suzanne, tells us about her work at Dublin Landings and her role outside of the office managing a farm and three children. 

“I’m really proud of the work I’ve achieved at Ballymore. When Dublin Landings completed last year, I think we all took a moment to acknowledge the sheer scale of delivering a transformational development like that – and doing it during Covid.

“It’s one of the many highlights of my career. I’m originally from County Meath, but lived in London for 10 years working in this industry; I took a swift detour to Switzerland a few years back for my husband’s job, but in 2016 we all moved back to Ireland, and in 2018 I began working at Ballymore.

“While we may have moved around a bit, the construction sector’s always been a constant in my life. I had my first job in the industry before I left college; the appeal of always having something to work towards excites me each day and I love meeting people and speaking to everyone involved in a project – from design teams to contracts managers to the people on the ground. 

“I’m lucky as I’ve always had a strong belief in myself and my place in this industry, but I know that it’s far from easy. Ours is a sector with a lot of inequality, though I’ve never experienced it directly, I’m acutely aware of its existence.

“Through hard work and tenacity, women have earned their place at this industry’s table, and the only way we’ll keep it is by being strong – ensuring that our opinions and voices are heard. The more diverse contributions there are, the more the industry will benefit.

“I’ve never shied away from speaking out, I think I’m a natural arbitrator and can bring people together in adversity. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to being a woman, it’s just who I am, but it thankfully fosters the productive working environments I’ve been lucky enough to experience throughout my career. 

“I’m also fortunate enough to have support around me that allow me to address the problem faced by so many working mothers – managing a home and a career. I employ a great au pair – a brilliant woman who supports me and vice versa and our arrangement helps me perform on both fronts – at home and at Ballymore. It also means I have time to manage our subsistence farm where we have chickens and vegetable patches. 

“That entire home setup saves my sanity and allows me to flourish onsite – especially as we get ready to transform our new site at Bray where I’ll be project managing. I feel we’re on the cusp of something as special as Dublin Landings there and I can’t wait to get started.”  

53-year-old Lynnette Uzell helps customers move into their new Ballymore homes at The Brentford Project in London.  Here she tells her story… 

“I love working in property and construction. I’m lucky to have spent many years in this sector, working at Taylor Wimpey, Wilmott Dixon and now Ballymore. 

“I’m originally from Dublin, moving to London in the 1990s. When I first relocated my son was very young (he’s 28 now) and the workplace was much less flexible. I needed to work and be myself so I established a career in childcare. 

“As my son got older I trained as a counsellor; it was a challenging but meaningful area of work, and it made me realise that everything I do in life had to give me that same rewarding feeling. 

“That’s why I moved into customer care roles, something I particularly enjoy. Personally, I’ve never encountered any major obstacles as I’ve build up my career in property. It has its moments, but most colleagues I’ve met along the way treat me equally.

“That’s especially true of Ballymore, where I’m fortunate enough to work in a welcoming environment and treated as one of the team – there’s no issue because I’m a woman, and when I’m onsite I don’t feel different to anyone else.

“I think the secret to earning that equality is to believe in yourself and just go for it. Immerse yourself in something you’re passionate about, gain qualifications that give you extra knowledge to succeed. One of my proudest achievements was completing my NVQ Level 4 in construction and engineering a couple of years ago, gaining some great technical skills that help me, our colleagues and our customers. It took a long time to complete – Covid didn’t help – but I’m so proud of what I achieved.”

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA), in partnership with Ballymore, Barnet Council and Transport for London (TfL), has launched a new design competition, ‘More Edgware, Less Anywhere’.  Emerging architects, landscape architects and designers are invited to submit a proposal for a new public realm intervention in Edgware, re-introducing greening on the High Street.  

A century ago, Edgware train station once stood in a field, with green spaces and open countryside on its doorstep. However, the access routes to Edgware’s greenery have become obscured as the town has overgrown.

Applicants are asked to provide a creative design solution for a site-specific public realm intervention that introduces new greening in the town centre, while improving the visibility and permeability of Edgware’s existing green spaces, drawing on the place’s historical roots and improving the experience for residents and visitors.   

The project's key objectives are to deliver a design that celebrates the character and history of Edgware, introduces planting and greenery into Station Road in a way that integrates successfully with the bustling high street, and explores this year’s LFA theme of ‘In Common’. Designers should consider what people have in common when they gather in and use public spaces and the diversity of users and communities in Edgware. 

The council, in partnership with Ballymore and TfL, has an ambitious programme of town centre investment to create thriving town centres that people want to live, work and spend time in. This temporary intervention for the LFA will be an exploratory project, testing out some of the long-term ambitions for the area’s improvement which will be used to inform the wider work. 

‘More Edgware, Less Anywhere’ will be delivered in parallel with a programme of centenary celebrations for Edgware Town Centre, including a mural and series of shopfront windows installations. 

Interested applicants are invited to submit their proposals by midday on 22 February 2023. The winning team will be confirmed in late March. 

To find out more information, please click here.  

Ballymore joined forces with international real estate journal Bisnow, hosting a debate on the future of the UK’s town centres and high streets.

A panel of renowned industry leaders joined guests from across the commercial real estate sector – including investors, owners, developers, consultants, and advisers. Together they looked at the future of urbanisation and the new asset classes fuelling economic growth. 

The event was structured around two panel debates. The first looked at the role of partnerships in regeneration, and how they can provide competitive returns to investors and the impact of the regeneration bill on urbanisation strategies; the second focused on the purpose and evolution of town centres. 

Ballymore’s Roger Black spoke on day; the company’s creative director, Roger has helped deliver sustainable new town centres at Ballymore neighbourhoods including Royal Wharf, The Brentford Project, as well as a future town centre scheme for Edgware. Reflecting on the event he said: “The macro economic challenges of recent years have adversely impacted the British high street, but this event allowed us to look beyond that viewpoint.

“These debates were filled with enthusiasm, ideas and expertise as we assessed what communities need – be that well-thought-out design, to repositioning assets and turning empty shops into usable spaces.

“We also focused on the role of private and public sector partnerships and the importance of collaboration in making the future high street a reality. This is a reality for Ballymore across many sites – including our partnership with Transport for London and Barnet Council at Edgware. 

“I enjoyed reflecting on our own work and that of peers across the sector; my thanks to everyone who contributed to a truly engaging day.” 

Peter Elliot, Head of Property Development at Ballymore partner TfL also spoke alongside Roger and added: “The purpose of town centres hasn't changed, but the physical representation has. Different formats of the traditional high street exist, but there has always been a profound interaction between the town centre and transport, and within that lies excellent opportunities. 

“A thriving high street has a constant blur between commercial, cultural or retail; a diverse mix is needed.”

The construction industry faces major changes this year as the sector implements the new Building Safety Act – which drives a whole new safety regime for the construction industry. 

This week, trade journal Construction News hosted its Transforming Construction conference, helping industry leaders understand more about the impact of the changes, and incoming legislation.

Among those leading the discussions on the day was Ballymore’s Health and Safety Director, Bob Wolstenholme. Bob was part of a panel which helped delegates understand the regulatory changes needed to make construction safer, more productive and a digitally driven industry. 

Speaking at the event, he said: “The Building Safety Act will have a huge impact on our sector and it is imperative that industry leaders come together to collaborate, share knowledge and best practice to ensure that changes are smoothly and consistently implemented.

“It was also a chance to share the way we are doing things at Ballymore where we are innovating with new ideas and construction processes – from MMC in the form of Byldis panels at Wardian and London City Island, to using CarbonCure in our concrete in Dublin. 

Bob outlined how important digital technology is going forward in order to maintain a seamless flow of information. “Ballymore has invested more than half a million pounds over the past 18 months in new digital systems to ensure we can easily retrieve evidence to demonstrate we are meeting building safety standards.

“We are helping play our part in taking the industry forward and I valued the opportunity to share that while listening to others in our sector as we embrace what’s ahead.”

The Construction News event was formerly known as the CN Summit. Now in its 10th year it was attended by delegates from across the country, with other debates looking at emerging market challenges to make better data-driven decisions.

Find out more about the event here.

Ballymore’s London City Island played host to The Academy of Urbanism’s Great Place Urbanism Awards, welcoming architects, designers and other guests to the area.

Hosted in person for the first time since 2019, the awards celebrated the best developments across the UK and beyond. Winners included Trieste in Northern Italy awarded European City of the Year, The Piece Hall in Halifax won The Great Place 2022 accolade; Perth and Kinross Council was crowned the Great Street 2022 award for Mill Street in Perth. 

The title of Great Town 2022 was awarded to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for their work in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin while Govanhill in Glasgow won the Great Neighbourhood 2022 accolade. 

Judges opted to host the awards at London City Island to “offer a fresh twist on the Awards Ceremony”. Organisers said they wanted to “embrace interesting new urbanism as part of our Great Places celebration”, exploring the Island’s “striking” cultural landscape. 

Tony Reddy, Academy of Urbanism Director said: “We are absolutely delighted with the response to the concept of having added a feature of a visit to London City Island to coincide with the Annual Academy of Urbanism Awards Ceremony.

"Site tours and a welcome from key project representatives from Ballymore and Glenn Howells Architects in conjunction with experience of being at the Sean Mulryan Centre, the new home of the English National Ballet, led to this being an extremely interesting day for members attending the event ceremony. The ambience was enhanced by the sight of performers dotted around getting ready for auditions on the site of the new place that is called City Island. It is also a reminder that Arts and Culture are an essential element in creating good urbanism."

Insight into the Island was given thanks to tours from architects from Glenn Howells, and Ballymore’s Roger Black. Together, the pair shared the story of the evolution of the area and taking the site from a disused industrial site into a new place for people and businesses.   

Guests also listened to a session given by representatives from European finalist cities – Málaga, Mechelen, and Trieste – as well as readings from poet-in-residence Ian McMillan who had crafted 15 poems for the 2022 finalists. 

The Academy of Urbanism is committed to identifying, promoting and learning from great urbanism in the UK, Ireland and across Europe. Find out more about the organisation here.

Tintagel Castle Footbridge in Cornwall – the legendary home of King Arthur - was crowned the overall winner of the inaugural Building Beauty Awards hosted by the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust and sponsored by Ballymore.  

Launched this year, the awards celebrate buildings, engineering structures and urban landscaping schemes that ‘add beauty to Britain’s built environment’.

Stephen Bayley, the awards’ founder, judge and acclaimed architecture critic, set out his ambition for the awards last year, saying “It is my hope that these awards will capture the public’s imagination and celebrate creative excellence in a way that has never been done before, but which has never been more relevant.”

Ballymore's Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Mulryan, who also sits on the Trust’s advisory panel, was among the guests at the prestigious awards ceremony which was held at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in the City of London. 

The overall award, Tintagel Castle Footbridge, was designed by William Matthews Associates and Ney & Partners.  The 70-metre-long bridge was opened by King Charles in 2020 and links the two separate halves of the Castle for the first time in more than 500 years.  It won the praise from the judges who applauded the architects’ response to the site’s challenging location. 

Other winners included Manchester’s Tower of Light, the Illuminated River project in London and McGrath Road in Stratford.

The awards were judged by a prominent panel of design names including the Trust’s president, Lord Foster who presented the awards and programme director of the World Architecture Festival, Paul Finch.  

The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust was established in 2017 and seeks to promote visual awareness and public appreciation of high-quality design. Find out more about the Building Beauty Awards here.

Goodluck Hope has won a Gold accolade at this year’s WhatHouse? Awards – one of the property industry’s most prestigious ceremonies.

At the annual event, held in London on 18 November, Goodluck Hope was crowned winner of the Best Luxury Development category. 

Judges commended the “incredibly exciting luxury riverfront development”, calling it “a real community”. They went on to praise its connectivity, amenities, public realm, as well as an aesthetic that is in keeping with local style, saying it “remains faithful in the area’s rich maritime heritage”. 

The news comes just weeks after Ballymore’s success at another acclaimed awards ceremony; in September the company was named Homebuilder of the Year at the British Homes Awards, with Goodluck Hope picking up the Best Development accolade. 

Speaking of the news, Ballymore’s group managing director John Mulryan said: “I am incredibly proud of this run of recognition for Goodluck Hope, a development which has created an entirely new community on the Leamouth Peninsula – extending our work at neighbouring London City Island and giving more people a chance to live, work and enjoy life here.

“Congratulations to everyone on the Ballymore team who has contributed to the success of Goodluck Hope.”

Ballymore has won seven awards in 2022 – three of them for Goodluck Hope. The company’s work in Ireland was also recognised this year as Dublin Landings received an Urban Design and Architecture Award. You can see the full list of Ballymore awards here.  

London’s first community concert hall in more than a decade has opened at Embassy Gardens, as charity World Heart Beat launches a new, accessible venue for local people.

A new cultural anchor for Nine Elms, the facility will enable World Heart Beat to build on its existing track record of providing accessible music education. The space will be open to all, and features a state-of-the-art recording studio, teaching spaces, an outside broadcast studio, and a café/bar. At its heart is an auditorium – the first in the UK to be equipped with the revolutionary 360-degree d&b immersive Soundscape EnScene system which ensures each audience member experiences the same exceptional quality of sound, regardless of their position in the hall. 

The facility was formally opened with a series of launch events attended by Baroness Floella Benjamin, eminent jazz artist Julian Joseph OBE, the Mayor of Wandsworth, and Cllr Kemi Akinola – Wandsworth Council’s cabinet member for Culture who said: "I was delighted to be at the opening of this fantastic venue for World Heart Beat with state-of-the-art facilities that will help so many of our young people to fulfil their potential, regardless of their circumstances.

“This music centre also gives our communities the chance to participate in the cultural life of the borough and builds a strong future for creative industries choosing to make Wandsworth their home.”

World Heart Beat was first established in London in 2008, with a mission to make music accessible, transforming lives through lessons, workshops and events. Speaking of the new venue the charity’s founder Sahana Gero MBE added: "We are honoured to be opening up World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens to add to the vibrancy and excitement around the new Nine Elms area. It is such a privilege to be able to contribute to the community with a state-of-the-art boutique concert hall and a music education facility. 

“Music brings everyone together, it brings joy by linking communities and breaking down political, economic and cultural barriers. We would like to think of World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens as an inspiring place to be, a citadel for musical aspirations and achievement. A welcoming home for all."

In her quest to get people through the doors of the venue, a programme of events has already been announced; renowned artists are scheduled to perform from January – including Julian Joseph, as well as jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen, Cuban-born violinist Omar Puente, saxophonist and flautist Tony Kofi, Indian classical musician Kamal Sabri, Russian-born British concert pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, winner of the BBC Young Musician brass category in 2016 Ben Goldscheider, and piano trio Amatis Trio. 

World Heart Beat will also host regular classes and areas for local young people to learn; the space has been designed by Rory Aitkenhead ARB, director of ra-l architects, with cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities that will enable the charity to introduce young people to a huge breadth of music industry skills whilst also providing an unparalleled experience for artists and audiences. 

World Heart Beat’s mission is to provide opportunities for all, and welcomes any young person interested in learning music. This commitment sees them providing bursaries and free instruments to more than half of the students that come through their door; this will directly benefit thousands of young people, particularly welcoming young those living in challenging circumstances, and on the neighbouring communities on the Patmore, Savona, Carey Gardens, Doddington and Rollo Estates. To find out more, and to book tickets for the first confirmed shows, click here.

Sean Mulryan, Ballymore’s Chairman and Chief Executive, and Stephen Bayley Hon FRIBA, Chairman of The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, planted the first of nine elm trees in the Nine Elms Park at Embassy Gardens, as part of ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy’ and in memory of the late Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  

Sean Mulryan recently joined the Advisory Board of The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, a charity that promotes high-quality design in the built environment.  The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust was set up as a charity in 1987 as a complement to the Royal Fine Art Commission, the government’s independent adviser on matters affecting public amenity and aesthetics in England. Over the past 30 years, the Trust has sought to promote visual awareness and public appreciation of high-quality design, for example through educational initiatives and their upcoming Building Beauty Awards (of which Ballymore is proud to be a sponsor).

Stephen Bayley, Chairman of The Trust, is a British author, critic, columnist, consultant, broadcaster, debater and curator... since the 1980’s he has been referred to as the ‘design guru’.

He was the founding Director of ‘The Boilerhouse Project’ – Britain’s first permanent exhibition of design, at the V&A, which evolved into the unique Design Museum in London, with Stephen Bayley as its Chief Executive, and which was opened by Margaret Thatcher in 1989. 

‘The Queen's Green Canopy’ initiative began in May 2021 in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, to increase and protect the UK’s native tree cover, encouraging people to create a 'special gift' for the Queen, to mark her 70 years on the throne.

Development Director, Steve Tennant and Development Manager, Michelle Burton have both been appointed to the New London Architecture’s (NLA’s) expert panels for High Streets and Public Realm, respectively. 

Steve has a wealth of knowledge to share in this new role including 30 years’ experience leading mixed-use projects with a combined GDV in excess of £6 billion both in the UK and internationally, including projects in Paris, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. In addition to leading Ballymore’s development team, he is currently leading on a major regeneration in Edgware town centre, establishing a BID and other regeneration activities. 

As a member of the High Streets Expert Panel he will focus on how the built environment sector can adapt successfully and promote the recovery of London’s town centres and high streets. 

Since graduating in architecture in 2013, Michelle has been involved in a range of projects in the property industry. At Ballymore, she has worked across the EcoWorld Ballymore ACE portfolio, comprising mixed-tenure projects at Wardian London in Canary Wharf, London City Island on Leamouth Peninsula in East London and Embassy Gardens in the new Nine Elms area of London. Currently, Michelle is working on the redevelopment of a brownfield site in the heart of Stratford in conjunction with London Legacy Development Company. 

Michelle joins the Public Realm Expert Panel which will focus on safety, diversity, and wellbeing in the public realm; accessibility to and management of green and blue open spaces; and best practice in placemaking through new and existing public spaces to support London’s recovery and resilience. 

Michelle is part of the NLA Next Gen initiative which identifies and supports young talent from across the industry, championing the professional development of the built environment’s future leaders.  

Speaking on their appointments, Steve and Michelle said: “We’re delighted to be joining the NLA’s expert panels. It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of these insightful conversations to help shape the future of high streets and the public realm.” 

Steve and Michelle pick up the reins from Projects Director Simon Ryan who represented Ballymore on the NLA’s Public Realm Expert Panel during 2021/22.

The British Homes Awards has crowned Ballymore its 2022 Homebuilder of the Year at its annual ceremony at the Londoner Hotel, Leicester Square on 30 September.

Ballymore also won Development of the Year Award (over 100 homes) for Goodluck Hope, its industrial-inspired, residential-led community creating an island neighbourhood of 841 homes on Leamouth Peninsula, including apartments, lofts and townhouses, set between a series of landscaped courtyards and slipways. 

The judges panel commended Ballymore's latest victory commenting: “This is a major achievement on what is a very constrained site… The whole process has been well considered and the outcome is impressive.”

The annual event celebrates excellence in British housebuilding, from architectural and interior design through to build quality and innovation and from one-off houses to major developments. 

This success takes Ballymore’s total awards this year to five. Royal Wharf was awarded a RIBA London accolade earlier this year, while Three Snowhill in Birmingham won the British Council for Offices’ Winning Workplace Award. Dublin Landings, our one million square foot workspace-led mixed-use development in Dublin, won an urban design award and architecture award.  

Reflecting on the news, Ballymore’s group managing director John Mulryan said:

“We are delighted to win not just one but two awards! The British Homes Awards are highly regarded in our sector and these accolades are testament to the work we do creating fantastic new communities in both the UK and Ireland.

“Congratulations goes to not only those involved in our Goodluck Hope development, but to everyone at Ballymore for the part they play in helping us deliver exemplary neighbourhoods where people want to live, work and belong.”

Having weathered the pandemic, small businesses are squaring up to the fresh challenges of the cost of living crisis and the UK’s 5 million or more artisan makers, café owners, creatives, street food chefs and entrepreneurs are applying their imagination and innovation to keep on attracting customers. 

Ballymore is a major supporter of small businesses through the commercial space and events in its neighbourhoods; these provide platforms for new and growing businesses, as well as giving the public the chance to meet distinctive and often local craftspeople and snap up extra-special products.

September’s Summer Fête at Royal Wharf Park, in east London, demonstrates just how important that platform can be for micro and small businesses. The event, organised by Ballymore with its events management partner Ace Events, brought together local artists and small business owners in a bustling art and craft market, alongside street food and drinks vendors, musicians and entertainers and local sports clubs. 

Those showing their wares included actor and ceramicist Hephzibah Roe, who found eager buyers, particularly for the 8oz coffee cups and plates made by the HR Ceramics business she established last year in Hackney. “Local events and markets are great for a small business like mine - it’s lovely getting to know not only the other market holders but also the local people from the area,” she says. “I am the sole operator of my business and part of my ethos is to bring joy in the usage of everyday items - I love making them and it’s great to see them go to a happy home!”

Jasmine Boadi delighted the senses of fête visitors with her MEFIYE luxury home fragrance brand. Jasmine’s east London studio, also established last year, sells products inspired by her Ghanaian heritage and UK upbringing mainly online, and for the fête she brought her core collection of fragranced soy wax candles and market tested a new range of Mini (votive) candles. “With our current primary product category being fragrance, encouraging customers to ‘blind buy’ online, without previous experience of the scents or the stories behind them, can sometimes be a challenge,” she explains. “So, events such as the Royal Wharf Summer Fête are key for us to hear from attendees and gain immediate insights into which products work for those new customers and why, so that we can continue to improve and grow as a brand.” 

Fête visitors clearly loved the products. “We completely sold out of our DUA Mini candle,” she says. “I was very lucky to have our studio based not too far away from the fête’s location so I could do a quick re-stock - or two - during the event.”

Another of the fete’s success stories is Sleepgoddess, a brand of vegan silk accessories and aromatherapy products designed to promote a better night’s sleep. “My Beauty Sleep Shower Steaming Salts were very popular at the fête and were sold out! That was very exciting for me,” says business founder Laurelle Darroux. The products, made using natural ingredients and wrapped in eco packaging, are created by Laurelle at her Dagenham home, where she began her business in 2020 after redundancy. “It is so important for me to get in front of the local community to engage with them and present my product to receive feedback that I can use to further develop my business,” she says of the fete. The interaction with visitors resulted in online orders too, and Laurelle says the event, “has also been useful in building my small business network, as I interacted with other vendors and got and shared useful advice”.

Craft markets and online are key sales routes for Henrieta Kolecani’s natural, plant based candles, room scents, body products and handmade ceramics, the latter made to order. Her La Scent business focuses on natural, recyclable and recycled low carbon footprint products and production, and those eco-credentials encouraged customers to talk and buy, she says. “My bestsellers were my Enchanting Spa range, which nearly sold out,” she adds. “Royal Wharf Summer Fete is a wonderful way to bring the community together; it is a fun day enjoyed by everybody.”

More businesses can be found at upcoming Christmas events. 

Want to support small businesses?

Here’s where to find the companies featured here: 

• HR Ceramics 
• MEFIYE
• Sleepgoddess
• La Scent

One of Dublin’s largest scale open-air art exhibitions was unveiled on Sheriff Street today. Ballymore’s Dublin Arch Murals aim to make art accessible to all using eight up-and-coming, local, and established artists to create large-scale dramatic work. 

Well-known artists such as Solus, Shane Ha, Kiki Na, Duc Pham, and local artists & creatives including Rebecca Kehoe and Tara Kearns created pieces along with Sheriff Street after-school group ASESP. The images are a mix of printed graphics and painted artwork and will be in situ for the public to view for the next two years. 

The artwork will be displayed on hoardings currently around the Dublin Arch site on Sheriff Street and Oriel Street, connected to Connolly Railway Station in Dublin. When completed, the mixed-use development will include homes and offices, retail spaces, a café, food market, and new facilities for the Docklands Boxing Club and St. Joseph’s O’Connell GAA Club. Also included is over 7,000sq m of public open space and over 2000 bicycle parking spaces for residents, visitors, and workers. 

Leading the project is Art Director Fionnuala Halpin who is working with children and youth groups in the locality and has vast experience in civic art projects and youth work in communities. She is also an accomplished artist in her own right and has a passion for making art more accessible to the public. 

Speaking about the exhibition Fionnuala says, “With this project, we are taking the constraints of a gallery away and making art more accessible to the community. There has been no real focus on art in the inner city in any consistent way, so this is a great way to highlight our local talent and hopefully bring an arts centre to the community in the future.

“Public art reflects society and can strengthen the sense of place by being site-specific. It is a communal activity that can reach a wide variety of people. It can be engaging, inspiring, and challenging and can help stimulate conversation between a diverse range of individuals and groups.”

Tara Kearns’ is an up-and-coming expressionist artist from Sheriff Street, gaining notoriety for her paintings of real people from the community and issues such as homelessness. Working two jobs, Tara got into IADT in Dun Laoghaire and graduated with a First-Class degree. She has gone on to showcase her work at a solo show at Trinity College where she depicted disabled leaders from the university to mark Disability Week and she also took part in the long-standing Five Lamps festival. In art college, she felt there was a stigma about being from Sheriff Street and this is something that she has carried with her all her life. She felt that art was something for the ‘wealthy’ and those who had the education to understand it, and this is something she wants to change through her work.  

Speaking about the project and her local community Tara said, “Growing up my mam sacrificed a lot for me to realise my dream as an artist. To have my work displayed here in my community alongside some of these great artists is a really proud moment! I am determined to show the positive side of Dublin’s inner city. 

I regularly have young people asking how they can paint and draw ‘like me’ so the chance to do more teaching and workshops here would be great. I invite all who have never been to this area of Dublin to come and visit and look at this beautiful art and see our strong sense of community.” 

Locals from the Sheriff Street area were delighted to see the exhibitions being created and colour the installations are bringing to the vicinity. Many expressed their appreciation with local resident Fiona Byrne commenting: “We are delighted to see this arrival of creativity and local artists to the area. Sheriff Street is often forgotten area of the city and this artwork is a great addition of colour to the street. It’s lovely to see them all come together.”

Ballymore is a developer with vast and varied experience, acknowledged as pioneers of some of Europe’s largest regeneration projects. Art and culture is a key part of its developments.

Chairman and Group Chief Executive, Ballymore, Sean Mulryan officially unveiled the murals today and said, “The arts, culture, and design are essential to our lives and to our wellbeing. We must appreciate the significance of the arts to our quality of life, and we always ensure it is within the places that we are developing. This project offers inspiring examples of how individual artists can make a difference and we look forward to building our relationships with these artists further as Dublin Arch progresses.” 

You can watch a film of the exhibition coming together here. 

Ballymore and Transport for London (TfL)’s commercial property company, TTL Properties Ltd (TTLP) have formally committed to combine their landholdings in Edgware. Working with the London Borough of Barnet, they will deliver their shared vision of a reimagined town centre with a thriving high street on Station Road open to all.

The 7.5-acre Broadwalk Shopping Centre, acquired by Ballymore in 2020, is key to unlocking the regeneration of the town centre. By working with TfL, which owns much of the neighbouring land including the bus station and bus garages, the project will be able to reach its full potential. The development will deliver an improved bus station as well as garages and will make it even easier to travel around Edgware while accessing the main shopping and residential areas. Ballymore will hold a majority stake in the strategic partnership.

The town centre is popular, diverse and valued, providing extensive shopping, cafes, restaurants and services for communities in both Barnet and the adjacent London Borough of Harrow. Edgware’s local economy is largely reliant on the commercial success of its high street retailers and offices which, like many town centres and high streets nationally, have come under pressure leading to an increase in the closure of anchor shops and, in some areas, resulting in dilapidated building frontages and anti-social behaviour. 

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, said: “We have long been committed to partnerships, working successfully with organisations to create new homes and mixed-use communities across London.

“Edgware, with its amenities and public transport connections, is a town with huge potential, but the changing face of the high street requires a new approach. We are looking forward to collaborating with TfL and Barnet Council to deliver our shared vision of creating an outstanding place for modern urban living, with thriving commerce, new and integrated public spaces, improved connectivity and public transport, new leisure and cultural offerings and a variety of new homes.” 

Peter Elliott, Head of Property Development at Transport for London, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Ballymore and working with the local community to revitalise Edgware town centre. Together we will be delivering high-quality new homes and improved retail space alongside other benefits for the local community, including better transport facilities, public realm and community and leisure amenities.”

Since acquiring the site in 2020, Ballymore has undertaken extensive public consultation to gain a thorough understanding of local opinion on the existing town centre and its future, working with TfL. Furthermore, alongside the London Borough of Barnet, both Ballymore and TfL are founding members of a Town Centre Steering Group which seeks to improve the appearance, vitality and with a long-term ambition of establishing a business improvement district (BID), whereby the numerous local businesses can invest together to improve the local trading environment. 

Stephen McDonald, Director for Growth at Barnet Council, added: “We are pleased to see this project take another step forward – a crucial part of the council’s overall plans to reinforce and enhance Edgware’s status as a major town centre to better serve the needs of those living and working here.”

Ballymore has today (29 July) submitted planning permission to Dublin City Council to regenerate and open the gates of the historic St. James’s Gate site to become the ‘Guinness Quarter’ – a world class, modern, and dynamic urban neighbourhood in Dublin 8.

Ballymore, in close collaboration with Diageo, has developed a masterplan for St. James’s Gate that brings this vision to life by creating a seamless union of residential living, community, entrepreneurship, creativity, sustainability, commerce, culture and public space, while retaining the site’s unique built heritage, complemented by the very best of carefully considered architecture and urban design. The masterplan has been sensitively shaped and designed by taking its direction from the fabric, heights and massing of the existing brewery site and its environs.

The main features of the plan include:

• A network of fixed and flexible inside and outside spaces for culture and community use including a flexible multi-use space that can cater for a variety of uses, such as a c.300 seated performance format.
• More than 2 acres of landscaped public spaces.
• A vibrant and exciting Food Hall that will be a landmark destination for people to taste and experience the best of regional, national, and international cuisine.
• A marketplace to showcase local, regional, and national producers and creators.
• Commercial workspaces designed to cater for a sustainable mix of large, medium, and small enterprises.
• 336 homes, with a mix including one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The scheme includes homes to buy, homes to rent and social homes.  The ambition is for the Iveagh Trust to be the social housing partner.
• The site includes bicycle parking infrastructure with 2,000 bicycle parking spaces in the heart of the development.
• Hotel accommodation to cater for both the leisure and business visitors to the area.
• The refurbishment, repurposing, and extension of heritage structures and the retention of key conservation features.

As a pioneer of some of Europe’s largest regeneration projects, Ballymore will bring its vast and varied experience to this landmark development for the city. Sean Mulryan, Group Chairman and Chief Executive of Ballymore, said: “This is modern, sensitive and highly sustainable urban design at its best and Ballymore is honoured to be a custodian of the site’s heritage, while adding the next layer of history and legacy to this important area of Dublin. 

“By balancing new and carefully considered interventions with heritage buildings, which are being repurposed and given a new lease of life, our vision is that St. James’s Gate will be among the finest examples of sustainable urban development, protecting the cultural, community, social, and industrial legacy of this part of Dublin 8 and the Liberties. It will be a development that everyone in Dublin will be proud of and enjoy,” he added. 

Barry O’Sullivan, Managing Director, Diageo Ireland said; “The history and heritage of Guinness and St. James’s Gate for Dublin and the local community is hugely important. It is a unique and special place. The plan that has been created respects this historic community while also transforming it into one of the most dynamic neighbourhoods in Europe.

“This allows us to continue our centuries old brewing operations in Dublin 8 while also developing the area into a truly modern place to live, work and play. We have engaged extensively with the local community to develop this plan and look forward to further conversation as we take the next step on the journey towards creating the Guinness Quarter.”

Ballymore and Diageo have placed sustainability at the heart of their proposals for Guinness Quarter. The joint ambition is to create Dublin’s first operational zero-carbon district that respects both the wider community and the natural environment.

This vision for the Guinness Quarter has been strongly influenced by extensive engagement with the local community since 2017, including over 120 local community groups, public representatives, local businesses, and many others. 

Ballymore has formed a 50/50 joint venture partnership with The London Legacy Development Company (LLDC), to bring new homes, jobs and amenities to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

Together, the pair will deliver the transformation of two waterfront sites, one adjacent to the emerging East Bank community, one of the most exciting new cultural and educational districts in the world. 

The partners will create almost 1,200 much-needed new homes – 575 at Bridgewater Triangle (50% affordable) and 600 at Stratford Waterfront (35% affordable) – and ground floor retail spaces. The homes will comprise a range of tenures and typologies, including townhouses and lateral and duplex apartments. 

Stratford Waterfront is a 0.96ha (2.4 acres) brownfield site located in the south of the Park. It is adjacent to East Bank which, when completed, will provide new spaces for BBC Music, Sadler’s Wells, V&A and UAL’s London College of Fashion. The site is bounded by Waterworks River and Carpenters Road.

Bridgewater Triangle is also a brownfield site which extends to 2.4ha (c.5.9 acres) and is bounded by Waterworks River, The Greenway and Pudding Mill Allotments. 

The two sites will deliver high-quality residential developments set in the incredible natural environment of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Residents will be surrounded by global sporting and cultural attractions, revitalised waterways, parkland and new emerging neighbourhoods, with superb transport links to central London and the capital's airports. Two newly established business districts at Here East and International Quarter London are attracting thousands of jobs to the area.

Rosanna Lawes, LLDC Executive Director of Development, said: “We are hugely excited to enter this partnership with Ballymore and to build on what has already been achieved over the last 10 years. 

“Ballymore brings great expertise and proven regeneration credentials to help create thriving new communities with well designed, sustainable homes to meet all needs.” 

Ballymore will now bring its own cultural expertise to the area; the developer has a track record in pioneering regeneration programmes across the capital, each of them anchored by cultural institutions and independent businesses. 

Group Managing Director John Mulryan hopes this approach can be replicated within the new development and adds: “LLDC has been instrumental in creating and attracting some of the biggest cultural and educational names to East Bank.  We are delighted to be partnering with LLDC, supporting the regeneration and delivery of homes in this special and inspiring destination that puts community and culture at its heart.

“Ballymore has been strategically focused on large-scale strategic partnerships with public bodies and this joint venture aligns with that goal.”

The JV hopes to complete the residential development at Stratford Waterfront and Bridgewater Triangle by 2028. 

Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope development at East London’s Leamouth peninsula won “Best place to live” at this year’s Building London Planning Awards.

London’s Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe presented the award to Ballymore and specialist planners Rolfe Judd at the event held on 20 July at City Hall.

The judging panel said they “were particularly impressed by this entry, which embraced its location to create not only a sense of place and community, but in seeking to ensure that Goodluck Hope becomes a destination in its own right.”

The panel added: “Ballymore and their team have created a little gem at the mouth of the River Lea where previously there was a desolate industrial wasteland – if you want to see great placemaking, go visit.”

Simon Ryan and Matt Stone, both projects directors at Ballymore, said: “Ballymore has delivered a new neighbourhood that is all-encompassing, captivating and inspiring, and one that opens up the riverfront for everyone.

“Having transformed Leamouth North with the creation of London City Island - fast-becoming one of London’s leading arts and cultural destinations- Goodluck Hope, just a three-minute walk away, completes the landscape at Leamouth Peninsula, making the whole island area a landmark in riverside living.”

The development was designed by Allies and Morrison with specialist input from planning consultancy Rolfe Judd.

Ballymore sponsored the London School of Architecture’s Summer Design Charrette this month – helping connect the design community with emerging talent as they seek to address critical urban challenges. 

The Summer Design Charrette involved architects and others from non-design backgrounds teaming up with students and the London Borough of Hackney to work on a live project, testing ideas and making recommendations for a new development site in the borough.

Participants made site visits and engaged with other groups throughout the two-day process – sharing ideas and debating topics such as the impact of sun and light, how to create play spaces for all, and creating spaces for music groups. The event concluded with students and architects giving presentations to the charrette groups at Hackney Town Hall.

Speaking at the event, Ballymore’s Creative Director Roger Black said: “Good design is at the forefront of everything Ballymore does. It was refreshing to see the new LSA graduates working alongside experienced practitioners and interdisciplinary experts who all brought different perspectives to the table. There was a healthy exchange of ideas and topics of discussion around how to create a sustainable community space for the residents of Hackney.”

A charrette is a meeting which provides a platform for schools of architecture and their students to showcase their talent and creativity, as well as providing an opportunity to work creatively and collaboratively on a ‘live’ project in a team environment. They are hosted regularly by the design community to provoke new ideas and techniques; speaking of the process, the LSA’s director Lara Kinneir added: “The LSA seeks to fuel and find new ways to design the city, responding to the constantly evolving social, economic, and environmental conditions.

“The summer design charrette allowed us to bring together newly graduated LSA students with practitioners and interdisciplinary experts to do just that and we are hugely grateful to Ballymore for sponsoring the event.” 

Find out more about the London School of Architecture here. 

Ballymore has received planning permission for phase 2 of its Dublin Arch mixed-use development adjacent to Connolly Railway Station in Dublin 1.

Covering 72,300sq m, phase 2 of Ballymore’s Dublin Arch development consists of two residential blocks and four office buildings, all of which overlook a new central public space. The four office buildings can accommodate over 5,000 people and include landscaped gardens, terraces and roof gardens. The two residential blocks will house 187 homes comprising studio; 1 bed, 2 bed, and 3 bed apartments.

Chairman and Chief Executive of Ballymore Sean Mulryan welcomed the decision by saying: said: “We are very happy today to share the great news that we have received planning permission for the next phase of our Dublin Arch development. Ballymore are proud to contribute to the advancement and enhancement of this Dublin City Centre location and we are excited for our work to complement and elevate the existing environment for present and future generations to enjoy. Dublin Arch will be an exemplar in its focus on sustainability, with a commitment to Net-Zero 2030, along with delivering the highest level of sustainability certifications.”

Dublin Arch will include cultural and retail space, a café, and will be the new home to Docklands Boxing Club and St. Joseph’s O’Connell Boys GAA Club, where both clubs will have new facilities. Also included is over 7,000sq m of public open space and over 1,000 bicycle parking spaces for residents, visitors, and workers.

Dublin Arch is situated on lands adjacent to Connolly Station and bounded by Sheriff St Lower, Commons St and Oriel St. It extends to circa 111,000sq m and will include homes, office space, and Ireland’s first Standard Hotel. The masterplan envisages new homes, office buildings, community clubs, artists’ studios, restaurants, bars, retail, landscaped plazas, and a central public square located at the heart of the scheme. With direct access to Connolly Station and conveniently close to Bus and Luas lines, Dublin Arch will be Ireland’s most connected commercial hub.

Group Managing Director, John Mulryan, has shared his vision for the future of the British capital, featuring on a new podcast series entitled: ‘What next for London?’ 

The podcast, which you can listen to here, is produced by London First, which appointed John to its Place Commission earlier this year. The organisation invited John onto the podcast to discuss just how we can sustainably evolve London's built environment.

On the recording, John gives his views on the next 20 years of development in the city, encouraging developers to evolve the capital in a way which “reinforces its existing strengths”, adding that he hopes London will continue to appeal to global investors, global visitors and cultural institutions alike. 

The debate also covered the changing ways in which people use their homes, workspaces and wider cities, with John giving his views on London’s post-pandemic landscape: “Many of us have changed our behaviours... as London has opened back up we’ve seen people pour back into the city.” 

The discussion also touched on the homes shortage in the capital, with John reflecting on the current trajectory adding how he would like to see the rate of development change. 

London First is a business membership group which campaigns to make London “the best city in the world to do business”. The group convenes and mobilises business leaders to tackle the key challenges facing the capital. Its Place Commission brings together leading businesses in the capital including Ballymore, working alongside SEGRO, Grosvenor, the Crown Estate, Arup, Imperial College London and other prominent firms in the hospitality, legal and housing sectors. Together they will answer the question 'how should London's built environment evolve to help people thrive and business to succeed?’.

Click here to listen to the podcast.  

Ballymore has “topped out” the first building in 8^th Lock, the final phase of its development at Royal Canal Park in Ashtown, Dublin 15. The milestone was marked at an event attended by German real estate investment manager, Union Investment, who acquired 8th Lock in 2021.

8th Lock is the first large development in Ireland or the UK to make use of a pioneering low carbon product, Carbon Cure. As part of its commitment to sustainability in all aspects of the supply chain, Ballymore has been working with Kilsaran to introduce Carbon Cure to 8th Lock, a technology where recycled CO₂ is embedded into fresh without compromising performance. To date Carbon Cure has prevented 148,051 tonnes of CO₂ being released into the atmosphere, with millions more to be sequestered into the future. 

Sean Mulryan, Chairman & Group Chief Executive of Ballymore stated: “Today marks a significant milestone as we top out our first building in 8^th Lock and we also achieved a UK and Ireland sustainability first with our use of Carbon Cure. At Ballymore, we’re committed to playing our part in a more sustainable and carbon conscious construction sector. I know Union Investments shares our drive for sustainability excellence and fully supports the use of such state-of-the-art sustainability practices.”

Martin Schellein, Head of Investment Management Europe at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH: “We were attracted to 8th Lock by Ballymore’s reputation for delivering high quality residential developments built in a sustainable manner. We are very pleased with our collaboration to date and delighted to witness this week’s important milestone. Boasting high sustainability standards and located in close proximity to Dublin City, the completed 8th Lock will be a landmark property in our European residential portfolio”.

Ballymore’s use of this low-carbon concrete product will save hundreds of tonnes of embodied carbon during construction. In another first for Ballymore, 8^th Lock is also designed to perform to the NZEB 2030 standard, which is futureproofed to ensure the development will operate at 2030 energy performance levels upon completion.

Planning for 8^th Lock at the site of the former Ormond Printworks on Rathoath Road was granted in May of 2020. When this final phase of Ballymore’s Royal Canal Park project is complete, the overall 162,000 sq m development will consist of over 1,630 homes, office space, cafes, and retail units including an already operating Aldi supermarket.

Three Snowhill in Birmingham has won a 2022 British Council for Offices (BCO) Award – an accolade which recognises the highest quality developments in the office sector across the UK.

Three Snowhill is the largest-ever speculative city centre office scheme built outside London attracting tenants including BT. Ballymore completed the structure in 2020, delivering a 420,000 sq ft office building comprising 17 floors of prime Grade A office space. The building also features a central glass atrium, car parking, a gym and communal basement amenities including extensive changing rooms with showers, lockers, saunas, bike parking and repair facilities.   

BCO judges called the building a “visionary Grade A development”, commending the facilities, floor plates, and views over Birmingham. The judges also acknowledged its embodied carbon benefits; the design and construction performance was carefully and comprehensively measured, achieving BREEAM Excellent, EPC B and WiredScore Platinum 100/100.

Three Snowhill is the third and final building to be created on the 4-acre site close to Birmingham’s Snow Hill station, in the city’s Colmore business district. This major project has seen the creation of a total 1 million sq ft of office space in three state-of-the-art buildings. Ballymore has also enabled the creation of a new square beside St Chad’s Circus and the delivery of a viaduct beside the station for the Midland Metro light rail extension. 

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, said: “From the outset, our plans for Snowhill pushed boundaries. Our vision was that this prime site in Birmingham City Centre could and would be re-invented as the city’s premier business location.  This award is testament to that and to our approach to sustainable design, creating something which has become home to the recognisable businesses now thriving here.

"Congratulations to everyone in the Ballymore team involved in delivering this exciting project - a fantastic and well-deserved achievement."

The award is the third accolade presented for Snowhill in the past year – a period in which Ballymore has won seven awards. 

Ballymore has applied for planning permission to repurpose the Brewhouse 2 building at St. James’s Gate in Dublin into a modern office space.

The building, which was once part of Guinness’ brewery operations, will create a major headquarters building for Diageo Ireland, which will anchor the overall scheme.  Refurbishing this building will also facilitate the wider redevelopment at St. James’s Gate.

Ballymore Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Mulryan said: “Together with Diageo we are delighted to take this step in the development at St. James’s Gate. The regeneration of Brewhouse 2, as a new, modern office space, will create a new long-term home for Diageo Ireland, and facilitate the wider redevelopment of the Guinness Quarter.”

The news comes after Ballymore was appointed by Diageo as development partner to create the visionary neighbourhood for living, entrepreneurship, creativity and commerce at St. James’s Gate. Together, the pair are realising a vision for this iconic site to become a standard bearer for the city’s future, as Dublin’s first zero carbon district.

The Brewhouse 2 planning application is separate to a masterplan for the wider St. James’s Gate site, which will be finalised by Ballymore over the coming months. The masterplan will set out ambitions for a high quality, mixed-use scheme that will be fully integrated into the wider Liberties area of the city. It will focus on placemaking and have a strong emphasis on embedding quality of life and a connection to community, arts and culture. 

The Brewhouse 2 proposal repurposes the building with modern elements of high quality and appropriate urban design, which will be sympathetically incorporated into the existing structure.

Subject to planning approval, it is expected that construction of Brewhouse 2 will take approximately three years.

Dublin Landings has been awarded the 2022 Urban Design & Architecture Award – the second accolade to be presented to the waterfront scheme this year.

Judges noted “the project is distinguished by its stunning architecture and striking landscaping”, as well as referencing to the “calibre of the tenants who have chosen to take space there”; businesses now anchored at Dublin Landings include We Work, The Central Bank of Ireland and the National Treasury Management Agency.

Speaking of the award, which comes just months after Ballymore earned the CBRE Excellence in Placemaking award for the scheme, developments director David Killion said: “Much thought was put into the designs for Dublin Landings, with a sensitive approach that has drawn on the Docklands’ rich heritage, while injecting green space in the form of tree-lined avenues and squares.

“This architecture award is testament to our efforts, and a credit to all involved with the design of a scheme that we hope raises the bar for Dublin.”

Hailed by the Irish Times as “one of the most important regeneration projects ever undertaken in Dublin”, Dublin Landings is a culturally-rich quarter for the city, with more than 1 million sq ft of commercial space – including five Grade A office buildings – and 268 apartments.

This brand-new urban community in the centre of the city, has reopened a disused Docklands site connected to the River Liffey. Find out more about it here.

London’s brand new Crossrail link is a fantastic addition to the capital’s transport network, making it a whole lot quicker and simpler to travel across the capital. The Elizabeth Line’s distinctive silver grey and purple trains entered service from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east on 24 May, just ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The route and its 41 stations - 10 of them brand new - have not only increased connectivity in the capital but have also put areas of west and east London in the spotlight, bringing them within easier reach and highlighting the qualities that make them great places to live. 

At the western end of the line, West Ealing station already provides a rail service into London Paddington, but the station has been significantly spruced up to welcome the Elizabeth Line. With its host of historic houses and gardens – including Syon House to the north of the River Thames and the famous Kew Gardens to the south – this area of London has long been known for its heritage and open spaces. 

The station is a short cycle or bus ride from The Brentford Project, Ballymore’s emerging new neighbourhood of homes, restaurants, cafes and shops, set between Brentford’s High Street and the River Brent. Once obstructed by industry, this major stretch of the riverside will be regenerated and made accessible to the public, with a new promenade adding to the open spaces of west London.

Travelling east, Canary Wharf station now serves both the Jubilee and Elizabeth Lines, giving journey times to Paddington station of just 17 minutes and Heathrow Airport of 38 minutes. Canary Wharf has already established itself as a city within the capital city, being home to such global financial names as Barclays and JP Morgan, more than 300 restaurants, bars and shops and 20 acres of parks and gardens. 

Canary Wharf’s disused docks and Thames riverside sites have provided a wealth of potential to create highly desirable, high-rise waterfront neighbourhoods, including EcoWorld Ballymore’s Wardian. From its spa and gym and its lush gardens to the wood and other natural materials used in its apartment finishes, Wardian is a tranquil retreat that has all the attractions of city living on its doorstep.

Custom House is one of the 10 new stations on the Elizabeth Line and is its only station located above ground. The station serves the Elizabeth Line and the existing Docklands Light Railway, providing a link to the nearby ExCel exhibition centre, the Royal Docks and the new City Hall occupied by London’s mayor and the Greater London Authority. 

A footbridge across the dock leads to the River Thames, the Thames Barrier, Thames Barrier Park and Ballymore Oxley’s Royal Wharf. With more than 3,000 new homes, the new Lyle Park, a school, doctor’s surgery, pub, community centre and more, this is a sustainable neighbourhood boasting amenities and some 500m of river frontage. It is now growing with the addition of Riverscape, an adjoining development of 769 homes across 10 buildings, to form a place that is family-friendly and has the everyday essentials of living within easy reach.

The Elizabeth Line’s opening has been a long time coming, but it promises to boost London’s rail capacity by 10%, which is the biggest single expansion of the city’s transport network in more than 70 years. Its effect on east and west London has yet to be seen, but it is certain to enable more people to discover its green spaces and neighbourhoods, and perhaps make their home there.

Ballymore has joined the newly-launched London First Place Commission, helping to produce a framework and recommendations to evolve London's built environment as it recovers from the pandemic. 

Underpinned by research and analysis by Deloitte, the Place Commission will bring together leading businesses in the capital including Ballymore, working alongside SEGRO, Grosvenor, the Crown Estate, Arup, Imperial College London and other prominent firms in the hospitality, legal and housing sectors. Together they will answer the question 'how should London's built environment evolve to help people thrive and business to succeed?’.

Ballymore’s UK Managing Director John Mulryan is one of the organisation’s newly appointed commissioners and said: “I am delighted to be joining industry peers, sharing Ballymore’s knowledge and expertise as we help to shape London’s future.

“I look forward to collaborating with all involved and moving forward with new ideas for the capital’s built environment.”

John Dickie, Chief Executive at London First, added: "London’s evolution as a place is vital to the city's future economic success and its global competitiveness. Decisions made now will affect how we live, work and socialise in the capital for decades to come; so it is critical that we get them right. The business leaders on our Commission will look at new trends and old challenges to set a fresh vision and programme of action for London to make it a better place."

London First is a business membership group which campaigns to make London the best city in the world to do business. The group convenes and mobilises business leaders to tackle the key challenges facing the capital. For further information click here.

Royal Wharf Primary School has been named as a winner of a 2022 RIBA London Award – one of the most prestigious awards in architecture – with judges calling the school “joyful and inspiring.”

The school was designed by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley and stands at the heart of Ballymore and Oxley’s Royal Wharf neighbourhood in the Royal Docks,  a brand new, 3,385-home neighbourhood completed in 2020.

Visiting the school, judges praised its “brightness and warmth”, noting that they experienced “unbounded delight and joy” as they wandered through the building. They also cited how engaged pupils were with the building.

Speaking of the award, Nicola Zech-Behrens, Project Director at Ballymore said: “Royal Wharf is an exemplary neighbourhood which has provided much-needed new homes for London, and a true community with amenities like this school at its heart.

“We partnered with skilled designers and architects here to raise the design bar here delivering a new neighbourhood that is inclusive, excites and inspires, and opens up the riverfront for everyone. This award is testament to that and demonstrates the important place of Royal Wharf School in this vibrant, dynamic and amenity-rich new neighbourhood.

"Being a mum with two children at primary school age, this has been a project close to my heart and working closely with the Head Teacher and Department for Education has given me some fantastic insight into everyday school life and operations."

The award is the latest accolade for Royal Wharf; features of the development have also won a Civic Trust Award and a New London Award, while the onsite construction team received the Seal of Excellence for Site Management accolade at the national 2018 NHBC (National House Building Council) Pride in The Job awards.

A colourful new art installation has brought together the best of London City Island’s community this month, with a sculpture, performative dance piece and post-production film, all created by Islanders and creative partners of Ballymore.

Catching Colour is an outdoor public sculpture by Rana Begum. The installation is Ballymore’s latest collaboration with The Line – an ambitious public arts trail; it  features colourful ‘clouds’ of suspended coloured mesh, expertly displayed to appear as if they are floating above the central pathway of the square.

The installation was launched as part of a Catching Colour event on 9th April - one attended by a host of guests including actor Bill Nighy (pictured below). Ballymore co-hosted the event with English National Ballet whose acclaimed Associate Choreographer, Stina Quagebeur, coordinated a five-minute dance piece in response to the sculpture. Bringing in even more of the Island’s community, the piece was then filmed by a graduate from the London Film School.

Speaking of the event, Olivia Payne, Regional Sales Manager at Ballymore, said: “This is a vibrant, colourful example of our community coming together, bringing the Island’s creative minds to the epicentre of the neighbourhood, resulting in an expressive performance that captured the attention of so many people on the day.

“We thank The Line, English National Ballet, the London Film School, and all of the other collaborators for capturing the essence of our community, and instilling joy in our Islanders’ hearts with this stunning work.”

The sculpture is now on display in Botanic Square on the Island. The ‘clouds’ are inspired by memories from Begum’s Bangladeshi childhood and her recollection of the forms and reflections cast by fishing nets suspended over water – the work is a fitting response to the natural environment of London City Island and the River Lea that winds around it.

Speaking of her work, artist Rana Begum concluded: “I am really excited about this project. It has been the product of years of experimentation and thought, travelling in many directions before it arrived to what it is today.

“While challenging, designing this outdoor, large-scale installation has allowed me to push this body of work in new directions beyond the studio. I am so excited for the work to be outside and for it to be transformed by the changing seasonal landscape and variations in light. I think these environmental changes will make the work come alive, creating a new experience for the individual every time they pass by and encounter the work. It is a privilege to have my work included in The Line’s public art walk. I love the way art becomes experienced as part of a journey, as a way of navigating through a city. The work becomes embedded into its urban habitat, surprising us and making us reconnect to our surroundings.”

To find out more about The Line and Rana’s installation, click here.

Ballymore has successfully secured planning permission (subject to a Section 106 agreement)  from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ Strategic Development Committee to create a new residential-led, mixed-use development in London’s Docklands. 

The scheme will provide a parkside development of 421 high-quality private and affordable (more than 30%) homes, ranging in size from studios to four-bedrooms within a single building of distinct design. The building will also feature a gym, cycle storage and communal spaces, including a sky lounge, for residents.

It will also include 97sq m of flexible public retail space on the ground floor as well as a new 18,000sq ft (50% of the overall development site) publicly accessible park to the front of the building; the largest open public space since the Jubilee Park was built 20 years ago.

One of the oldest defined streets in the area, Cuba Street is located in Tower Hamlets and sits within the Isle of Dogs Opportunity Area which has been earmarked for 31,209 homes by 2031.  

Designed by architect Morris + Company, the building will boast a dynamic, sculptural look and strong identity, with an aluminium façade and projected red canopy at ground level to denote key entrances to the building. 

Drawing on the vision of a ‘castle in the cluster’, the design of the upper floors of the part 52-, part 32-storey building will add a unique and striking castellated profile to the skyline which will be visible from miles around. The homes have also been carefully designed to optimise the site’s long-distance views and natural light and maximise dual aspects.

The materials and colours have been selected to create a distinctive feel but also complement the immediate environment and more domestic tone of the area, in contrast to the commercial grandeur of nearby Canary Wharf.

Sustainability is central to the design from the sourcing and selection of high performance, low environmental impact materials during the construction phase to the use of highly energy efficient systems, including air source heat pumps to maximise carbon reductions and embrace zero-emissions during the operational phase.  The scheme will also be car-free. 

The development has been designed to contribute to the transformation of the immediate streetscape in accordance with the Council’s Liveable Streets initiative. The new, publicly accessible ‘Cuba Park’ will provide a large new garden-square style green space for the existing and new communities, which will feature a distinctive and playful park that draws inspiration from the indigenous landscape of the area. The park will be a much-needed addition to the area. In addition, 450sq m of biodiverse wildlife boxes on the roof of the building will help protect and enhance biodiversity in the area. 

Though the site has excellent local transport links, including Canary Wharf underground, and several DLR stations and bus routes, the current pedestrian routes through and adjacent to the site are convoluted, with limited connectivity.  A new public route running south from Marsh Wall to Cuba Street will improve the pedestrian network and provide greater connectivity to ‘Cuba Park’. 

Simon Ryan, Projects Director at Ballymore said: 

“We are incredibly excited to see progress around our Cuba Street application. Our plans, if fully approved, will enable us to create a striking new building that is both distinctive from, and complementary to, the existing area. It will create a substantial number of much-needed new homes and bring significant improvements to the surrounding public realm, including half of the site providing a large new garden square for both residents and locals to enjoy."

Bishopsgate Goodsyard Regeneration Ltd, the 50:50 joint venture between international property developers Ballymore and Hammerson, has completed the Section 106 agreement, unlocking the 1.7 million sq ft mixed-use regeneration area in Shoreditch, one of central London’s highest growth neighbourhoods.

The agreement formalises the planning consent, received in late 2020, for the Bishopsgate site and was approved by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the London Borough of Hackney, Network Rail, Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). It represents the final stages of the planning process and allows the Joint Venture to begin the next phase of development, which will include preparing the detailed design, undertaking site enabling works and working with Network Rail on a delivery and phasing plan, with the first phase of construction anticipated to begin in 2024.

The planning consent also secures 50% affordable housing for the scheme, as well as affordable workspace in Hackney at a 60% discount and retail space, which will support the diversity and affordability for both residents and locals. Social inclusivity and retaining the character and heritage of the local area and repurposing the listed buildings on site will be key themes for the future development plans.

On completion, the development will comprise 10 acres of residential, office, retail and cultural arts space, alongside pedestrianised streets, and a public park on top of the restored historic railway arches that will provide a series of connected gardens, terraces and walkways. The scheme will help drive growth in the heart of Shoreditch as well as provide a significant contribution to London and the local area, with the project estimated to support 11,000 jobs and contribute around £540 million to the economy each year, as measured in Gross Value Add.

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, said:

“Bishopsgate Goodsyard is one of the most exciting redevelopment sites in London today.  It will bring vitality to the district, create thousands of new jobs and significantly boost the local economy.

“We bought this derelict site almost 20 years ago, having lain idle since 1964.  Over several years we have developed strong relationships with the local people, businesses and councils, the GLA and transport bodies to ensure that the design aligns with their future aspirations for the neighbourhood. 

“With a mix of new homes, sitting alongside workspace, shops, cafes and restaurants, cultural buildings, new streets and one of central London’s largest new parks, this place is designed with wellbeing in mind, where people want to live, work, and enjoy themselves.”

Harry Badham, Chief Development and Asset Repositioning Officer at Hammerson said:

“This site is regarded as one of the last undeveloped sites of significant scale in central London with the potential to lead the way in terms of placemaking and holistic urban regeneration. The completion of this stage of planning and our commitment to bring forward the development of this multi-use neighbourhood reflects our joint ambitions.

“Bishopsgate Goodsyard truly reflects our focus on development and value creation and aligns with our strategy - to create and curate prime city centre destinations by leveraging our experience and capabilities and thereby delivering vibrant urban spaces for our occupiers, customers and the neighbourhoods and communities we serve.

“Both Ballymore and Hammerson are pleased to be working with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the London Borough of Hackney, Network Rail, TfL and the GLA to enable the investment and delivery of this project."

The Lockdown Room bar and restaurant at Ballymore’s London City Island has raised more than £22,000 to help the people of Ukraine, with a fundraising appeal and event. 

The team at the venue hosted a fundraising initiative on 4 March, donating 50% of all revenue from the day. Residents from London City Island supported the event by donating prizes for an engaging charity auction, which saw visitors to the venue bid for 15 appealing lots, including stays at Soho House hotel in London, a 12-month membership at yoga and meditation studio HUM Yoga, a Christian Louboutin handbag and a spa retreat. 

In its commitment to charitable causes, Ballymore matched The Lockdown Room’s £10,000 fundraising target. The collective efforts of all involved have raised a total of £22,320, to be donated to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, with the team seeking further donations via a newly established Just Giving page.

Dan Bull, the founder of The Lockdown Room, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome of these fundraising efforts, and want to extend a huge thank you to Ballymore for generously offering to match our target.  

“London City Island is a great community filled with inspiring people who genuinely want to help. I am thrilled to have found a way to harness their generosity and to have made a difference. 

“The support of our neighbours and of Ballymore has been overwhelming, and my team and I want to acknowledge the kindness of all involved.”

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director of Ballymore, added: “This is a heart-warming example of a community pulling together for a great cause. We are proud to have been involved with the initiative and will continue to work with Dan and our local community on the Island to lend our support to those in need.”

The Lockdown Room at was born out of the pandemic in March 2020 as a sister venue to London City Island’s Espresso Room. The latter also contributed to the fundraising, donating 100% of its merchandise sale profits on the day. 

Dan aims to continue to support the fundraising campaign for Ukraine, and has volunteered his home as part of the UK government’s ‘Homes for Ukraine’ appeal. Anyone wishing to support his efforts can donate to the Lockdown Room’s Just Giving page here.

Ballymore’s newest urban quarter in Dublin is set to welcome an ultra-stylish 200-bed boutique hotel, following an agreement between the developer and boutique hotelier Standard Hotels. The Standard, a boutique brand best known for its city locations, designer décor and cultural happenings, already has hotels in the United States, London and the Maldives, and its upcoming hotel in Dublin Arch will mark its debut in Ireland.

The hotel, which is expected to open in 2025, will be part of the Dublin Arch neighbourhood, which is being developed adjacent to Connolly station in Dublin 1. This major regeneration project will combine homes, office space, retail and restaurants, community clubs, artists’ studios and landscaped plazas. 

Ballymore chairman and chief executive Sean Mulryan said of the agreement, “Our Dublin Arch development highlights our commitment to Dublin’s North East Inner City. Attracting high-calibre commercial partners to this historic area was a key objective and I am thrilled that Standard Hotels have chosen to locate their first Irish hotel in Dublin Arch.”

Amber Asher, CEO of Standard International, echoed that, saying, “We are excited to partner with Ballymore to develop a new home for Dublin’s creative community and a destination for locals and visitors alike.”

Ballymore is inviting the local community to come and have their say on proposals for the Guinness Quarter, which promises to be one of Europe’s most exciting regeneration projects and Dublin’s first zero carbon district. Plans to transform Guinness’ famous St James’s Gate brewery site into a sustainable new neighbourhood will be showcased in a week-long public engagement event running until 5 November at the iD8 Studios in the city. 

Local people will have the opportunity to see and comment on designs for the retail and commercial workspaces, homes, cultural facilities and public spaces planned for the 12.6 acre site. Ballymore is working with global drinks giant Diageo, as well as the local community and stakeholders, to develop the shared vision for this important project.

Ballymore Chairman and Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan said: “St James’s Gate has over 260 years of history, and so, we have a unique responsibility to ensure that when that famous gate opens, it opens to a place synonymous with good times and memorable experiences. We look forward to discussing that directly with the local community, before then moving forward with a world-class new neighbourhood which draws on a distinct and inimitable part of Ireland’s heritage.” 

A brand-new London Underground station has opened, giving Ballymore's Embassy Gardens neighbourhood a direct link to the heart of the capital. The station at Nine Elms opens alongside another at Battersea Power Station, with these being the first new stations to be created on the Northern line for 80 years.

The stations – both in zone one - are part of the new Northern Line Extension, a 3km-long twin-tunnel railway link extending from Kennington to Battersea Power Station via Nine Elms. Transport for London is planning to run an initial peak-time service on the extension of six trains per hour, with frequency increasing to 12 trains an hour by mid-2022.

The stations have been developed to support the new south London neighbourhood of more than 20,000 new homes. Among these is Embassy Gardens, a growing community of almost 2,000 homes and more than 500,000 sq ft of office and retail space, where the last collection of homes are being created at The Modern. The Northern line extension brings central London within easier reach for residents and gives Londoners even more opportunity to explore Embassy Gardens' parks, cafes and restaurants.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said of the opening of the two new stations: "They will hugely improve connectivity between these two areas and the rest of London, and play a major part in the capitals recovery from the pandemic by supporting thousands of new jobs, homes and businesses".

Councillor Ravi Govindia, Leader of Wandsworth Council and Co-Chair of the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, said: "This huge £1 billion transport investment to extend the Northern line to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms has been over 10 years in the making, so we are delighted that this growing Wandsworth neighbourhood is now firmly on the London Underground map".

Ballymore’s Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Mulryan has celebrated the successful completion of a regeneration project in his home county of Roscommon in the West of Ireland, which was driven by its local community to give a boost to tourism. He has officially opened a new-look jetty at the marina to the popular fishing spot of Lake O’Flynn, in Ballinlough, following its redevelopment by local body, Ballinlough Development Association. 

Unveiling a plaque honouring the project at Lake O’Flynn, Mulryan said, “I’m delighted to be part of this very important day for Ballinlough and Lake O’Flynn. I look forward to the continued development of the amenities at the lake and I look forward to seeing Lake O’Flynn become a destination for families and tourists visiting the West of Ireland.” 

The need to redevelop the jetty, which was built by Ballinlough Development Association around half a century ago, was highlighted in a feasibility study in 2018. That study won support from local organisation Roscommon Leader Partnership, which provided 75% of the project funding, with the development association raising the remainder through fundraising activities. The Western Development Commission facilitated the project by providing debt finance.

The project was designed by architect Stephen Blake of Co Galway, and construction was by P Webster Construction and Castle Carpentry & Building Services. But local projects like this also rely on the hard work of dedicated local individuals, with the team behind the jetty including Michael Daly (Chairman), Tony Doherty (Secretary), Joe Garvey (Treasurer), Pete Forde, Mary Lynch, Richard and Michaela Siberry, Pat McDonnagh and Anthony Doherty.

Ballymore’s Islander Festival at London City Island has been bringing Londoners together throughout the summer for evenings of movie screenings and live music beside the River Thames at Leamouth Peninsula. With summer now moving into autumn, the festival will be coming to its close on 10 September in a big finale that will feature a performance by singer and X Factor winner Dalton Harris.

Harris promises to end this first ever Islander Festival in style with his appearance at London City Island’s pop-up venue, The Lockdown Room. Best known for his X Factor win in 2018, he says of that time, “Winning The X Factor was a huge accomplishment for me and was one of those moments when I felt like my life’s hard work had paid off. But of course, this is in hindsight. At the time I was overwhelmed and just so focused on trying to do well and work hard”.

Fast forward to 2021 and the Jamaican singer is based in the UK and performing at the Islander Festival, in an event organised with London City Island based recording studio Into the Woods and music production company Three Bears Ent.

Like many artists, Harris has returned to the stage this summer after a lengthy lockdown absence. He says he is looking forward to “truly feeling I am being myself on stage”, adding, “Because lord knows it’s been a while with everything happening with Covid and in the industry.” As an experienced performer, Harris says he doesn’t usually get stage fright before performing, but he explains, “I definitely get nervous, especially since lockdown, since I’ve not been on stage for a long time. I think it might be a bit more heightened than usual but if I don’t get the butterflies then something is seriously wrong. It’s almost a rite of passage, part of appreciating being on stage and my artistry.”

You can catch Dalton Harris on stage at The Lockdown Room on friday 10 September at 7pm (doors open at 6pm). Tickets cost £10 per person and are available to purchase here with 10% of all ticket proceeds going to charity Street Child’s Afghanistan appeal. 

德国房地产投资商联合投资（Union Investment）通过收购巴利摩（Ballymore）在都柏林的皇家运河公园开发的8th Lock项目，首次在爱尔兰的住宅领域登场亮相。 此次收购金额约为2亿欧元，是爱尔兰住宅领域从终端投资者那里获得的第一笔远期融资。

此次融资说明了德联合投资对巴利摩的质量及都柏林住宅业开发的雄厚信心。联合投资欧洲房地产投资管理主管Martin Schellein先生说：“我们很高兴能够与我们的合作伙伴巴利摩一起实现这一宏伟蓝图 。有许多因素使爱尔兰在私人租赁领域（PRS）的市场增长势头非常强劲。”他还表示：“爱尔兰是欧洲人均年龄最年轻的国家，正在经历着强劲的人口增长势头。由于跨国公司的不断入驻，对经济适用房的需求也随之增大，尤其是在都柏林，近年来的建筑开发项目相对较少。另一方面，我们丰富的专业管理经验也会令租赁住房市场从中受益”。

巴利摩董事长兼集团首席执行官Sean Mulryan先生表示："我们致力于为联合投资提供高质量的开发项目，吸引他们与巴利摩合作"。 8th Lock 项目是巴利摩皇家运河公园改造项目的最后一期，该项目涵盖了都柏林市中心西北部的Ormond Printworks的旧址。该工程共有5栋建筑，从第5层到第14层，将提供约31,000平方米可出租的空间，其中约28,000平方米为住宅。住宅部分将包括435套一居室和两居室的带家具公寓，全部用于私人出租，剩余则属于商业专用空间。

“我们很高兴欧洲最有经验和最受尊敬的房地产投资管理公司之一——联合投资能够投资我们的8th Lock项目，”Mulryan先生说。他还表示：“无论是项目的宏观规划还是最后的交付使用，巴利摩一直是以顶级的设计和精湛的创意而著称的。”

一旦政府Covid-19的相关规定允许，8th Lock项目的施工建设将会开始，该项目计划于2023年10月至2025年3月完工。

联合投资公司由世邦魏理仕（CBRE），A＆L Goodbody和普华永道（PWC）三家公司担任顾问。

A 2021 summer events programme dubbed Meet Me At the Pier has got under way on Royal Wharf’s beautifully landscaped 1km riverside stretch between Lyle Park and Thames Barrier Park, just south of Royal Victoria Dock in East London. Running now until end of September, the activities offers family fun, free things to do, live music and much more. 

The main event in the Riverscape Pop Up, a riverside bar and terrace that’s open from 11am to 8.30pm until 26 September. The pop-up’s menu extends from morning coffee through to Aperol spritzes, small batch beer from Hackney’s Five Points Brewery, sustainable British wine and other local bites to eat, including Brick Lane bagels. There will be live acoustic music on Thursday and Friday nights at 6pm, helpfully coinciding with happy hour, where all F&B is 20% off (between 5pm – 6pm). 

The Royal Wharf park will come to life with feel-good summer festival vibes with its own Summer Fete between 11am to 6pm. The all-day fete will be a fun day out for all the family - with jumbo garden games, live acoustic music, face painters, a magician and balloon modellers, alongside a range of gastronomy food vendors. The fete will also showcase the wealth of locally-based talent, with community artists displaying their artwork for sale, and businesses offering on-the-go treatments; whether that be a quick doggie groom or a manicure! For those seeking a healthy start to the day, personal trainer Michael Baah will be hosting a HITT workout, and One Element will be holding a running session, both at 10am. 

For those keen to pick up a selection of locally sourced produce, the farmers market between 11am – 3pm will continue every second Sunday of the month located in the heart of Royal Wharf - with the next one on 12 September. Then every last Friday of the month, Royal Wharf will continue to host Street Food Fridays, which hosts an international line-up of food vendor between 3pm – 9pm - with the next ones on 27 August and 24 September.

A series of regular Thursday Lates will also give visitors a chance to meet our team in the Riverscape Sales Gallery, enjoy a glass of something cool and refreshing, and discover Riverscape in more detail.

Ballymore has agreed a strategic partnership with supermarket giant Sainsbury’s to develop homes, retail space, community amenities and workspace on an 18 acre canalside site at Ladbroke Grove, in west London.

The agreement will see Ballymore holding a 60% share in the partnership to develop one of the last major brownfield opportunities to be brought forward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The site is part of the council’s Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area, which means it has the potential to deliver high numbers of new homes and jobs.

Under emerging plans, the site could be redeveloped with up to 2,800 homes and a canalside town centre, as well as civic spaces and a mix of retail, leisure, cultural, community, small business workspace and educational uses. A new 130,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s store will be developed as part of the regeneration and a historic canal basin is set to be restored.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Ballymore, said: “Partnerships like this one show the type of innovative approach needed to tackle London’s housing shortage. We are pleased to be a step closer to submitting an application and realising our ambitions of a mixed-use scheme that will transform the area. We’ve commenced early consultation with local stakeholders and look forward to hearing directly from local people how they envisage the future site can best suit the needs of the local community.”

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property Director, said: “This agreement, which is the result of many years of hard work and commitment across our businesses, represents a momentous opportunity to deliver an exciting new vision for Ladbroke Grove. We have a proud history of serving the local community and are committed to engaging with our customers and residents throughout this project, which will play a substantial role in the revitalisation of the area.”

Big and bold: that’s the best way to sum up the regeneration delivered by Ballymore and development partner Oxley Holdings in Dublin’s Docklands area. After five years of construction activity, a site in the North Docks fronting the River Liffey has been dramatically transformed into Dublin Landings, a city quarter with almost 100,000 square metres of office, retail and residential space spread across 13 buildings in all.

The scheme is remarkable both for the scale and ambition of the transformation. Looking at Dublin Landings today with its garden squares and diverse mix of apartment and office buildings, it is already hard to visualise its past. But this 2.3 hectare site was actually part of Dublin Docklands’ industrial heartland, which spread across more than 500 hectares on the northern and southern banks of the river. Regeneration has brought transport infrastructure to the area, in the form of the LUAS light rail extension, and has attracted new businesses from the tech and financial sectors, making it today one of the best connected areas of the city for business and living.

Recognising the area’s strategic importance for Dublin, Ballymore took a placemaking approach to developing its site, choosing its masterplan architect via an international competition. The competition was won by the Copenhagen practice of ARROW Architects, which came up with a Scandi-influenced masterplan that both reconnected the site to its history and the River Liffey and introduced richly varied streetscapes. Dublin-based RKD Architects was also brought onto the team to help translate this Scandinavian masterplan to its Dublin context.

ARROW’s masterplan includes a diverse collection of buildings, each one highly individual in its detailing and materials and incorporating such unusual features as ‘urban villas’ – two storey houses that perch on top of apartment buildings to form spectacular penthouses. “Every building has its own personality and its own cladding solutions, using combinations of aluminium, glass and brick predominantly,” explains Paul Carty, Director of Construction at Ballymore. The final design and finishes for every building were, therefore, the subject of much deliberation. “Our chairman Sean Mulryan was very passionate about getting the facades, colours and textures of the buildings right and a lot of thought went into that,” continues Carty. “Sean visited the site frequently so there was a very hands-on, senior management approach by Ballymore.”

Careful design and detailing of the buildings have resulted in a scheme that Carty describes as “hand crafted”. He explains: “These are very traditional buildings, which has made it harder for us to construct them. We have lots of hand laid brickwork, cladding systems are bespoke and even the balconies are not standard.” It is this quality that really sets the development apart, he believes. “Other developers will build 300 apartments all the same. Ballymore has set a very different tone with this development. This has a boutique feel to it. It is clearly is a piece of craft and is a statement of what we can do.”

Constructing a new neighbourhood on this scale in a city would inevitably present its challenges, with Carty explaining, “It was a tight urban site with access being restricted by the LUAS tram and a bus corridor.” To facilitate delivery, Ballymore opted to build the homes itself, while it procured a general contractor to construct the commercial element. That meant around 1,000 workers were working on both the residential and commercial build at the peak of site activity, until the pandemic came along. “We were only half way through the residential build, with only one of eight blocks handed over, when Covid arrived,” recalls Carty. “We had to change our way of building very significantly. As the building layouts are very cellular, we had to have one person working on an apartment instead of 10, for example. It was a challenge to meet the programme and observe Covid protocols, but the staff were extremely diligent and performed exceptionally well.”

The completed development comprises 298 one, two and three bedroom apartments plus resident amenities, 70,000 square metres of office space and 1,600 square metres of retail and leisure space. Investor Greystar acquired the homes for its private rental portfolio, while occupiers of the commercial space include The Central Bank of Ireland, National Treasury Management Agency and co-working space provider WeWork. One office building that was sold to property company IPUT Real Estate now includes Microsoft among its tenants.

All the commercial space was let or sold ahead of the scheme’s completion. “We reached out to businesses who we wanted to attract here, as well as those who we knew were looking for new space in the market. It was about being transparent and sharing our vision with them,” says David Killion, Ballymore’s Development Director. “Tenants and purchasers have told us that they took comfort from knowing they were going to be part of a completed place.

“Our vision was to create somewhere which raised the bar in Irish architectural design, helping Dublin’s docklands meet the standards of other global financial centres,” Killion adds. With its distinctive buildings and a new ‘urban wild’ landscape of wildflowers, herbs and grasses growing up in the squares and streets threading between them, the neighbourhood is already rapidly taking on the look of an established place.

Annual dragon boat racing competition the Dragons at The Docks is a key date in the Irish property industry’s calendar and a vital fundraiser for a number of extremely worthy causes. But this year’s event won’t be taking place in its conventional venue of Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock, because large-scale live events continue to be limited by pandemic precautions.

So in place of the live event, this year the organisers have come up with an ingenious virtual contest that encourages participants to get active while raising money for good causes. For 2021 the competition is setting teams the challenge of walking, crawling, running, rowing or cycling the almost 10,000km distance from Dublin to Hong Kong, the home of dragon boat racing itself. For this special virtual contest, progress towards the destination will be tracked via the Strava fitness app.

Participating teams, which can have up to 20 members, just have to sign up to take part, pledge to hit the competition’s fundraising target and make the virtual journey by 26 August.

The competition benefits five charities based in Ireland, including homelessness charity Dublin Simon Community, Aware – which supports sufferers of depression – the Alone charity for the elderly, ISPCC – the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children - and Women’s Aid. The event has been bringing Ireland’s property industry together to do good since 2017, so far raising more than €893,000 for local charities.

Ballymore is supporting the event and there’s the opportunity for colleagues to take part by signing up here. It’s a great way to give others a helping hand.

There’s more to making a place than constructing new homes, office buildings and community amenities. New places don’t truly take shape until they are bustling with people keen to make the most of their surroundings and what they have to offer. That’s why developer Ballymore organises events that bring people and vibrancy to its new neighbourhoods.

This summer, our east London developments London City Island and near neighbour Goodluck Hope are hosting major events that will delight sports fans, cinema-goers and gourmets alike.

London City Island is home to a summer of fun with the Islander Festival taking place from 27 June to 10 September. The community-focused festival is currently showing free screenings of the Wimbledon tennis championship and will also be featuring family-friendly blockbuster movie screenings, running from July 12-18.

Screenings are taking place on a 15 metre square screen in London City Island’s Hopewell Square, under a covered marquee with open sides to keep the audience protected from unseasonal weather. Local businesses will even be providing snacks and drinks for the screenings, including homemade gourmet popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, mojito ice lollies and English and international wines. With street food markets – plus added live music performances - also taking place on July 24 and 30, August 13 and 27, and September 3 and 10, there’ll be plenty of life at London City Island over the summer months. You can also watch the Wimbledon finals here in style with our hampers for two. Each hamper includes these quintessentially British items, a Bottle of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, strawberries & cream, assorted tea sandwiches, traditional cakes and x2 reserved seats at The Islander’s Wimbledon Championship Finals 2021. To book yours click here. Please note, orders close three days before the final so get them whilst you can!

For a schedule of the Islander Festival events click here and follow @londoncityislandlife on Instagram.

At Goodluck Hope from July 14-17 a gastronomy festival is the main event, featuring top chef Scott Hallsworth, the former head chef of Michelin starred restaurant Nobu. Called GASTRONOMY@Goodluck Hope, the dining pop up will be housed in a glass pavilion fronting the River Thames, where diners will be able to enjoy Hallsworth’s Japanese-inspired, six course tasting menu. The menu will include such dishes as Singapore chilli crab and avocado wonton ‘bombs’, beer marinated rib-eye tataki, and Nanyang coffee brulees with coffee crumble, making it truly a gourmet experience.

Tickets for GASTRONOMY@Goodluck Hope are £60 per person – including the set menu and welcome drink - and are available to purchase here.

This month the last collection of homes in the popular new neighbourhood at Embassy Gardens in London’s Nine Elms comes to the market. The Courtyard Collection at The Modern comprises 153 suites and one, two and three bedroom apartments, all boasting a bold and contemporary style.

“The Modern is the last piece of the Embassy Gardens story,” says Roger Black, Creative Director at developer Ballymore. “The interiors of these apartments are very beautiful, special and different to what has come before.” Designed by London-based design duo Benningen Lloyd, the Courtyard Collection’s homes combine craftsmanship with bold colours, drawing inspiration from nearby New Covent Garden Flower Market. Apartments in the 21 storey Modern building floor have light-filled, airy interiors with extensive glazing to allow views across the capital.

Embassy Gardens has transformed an 8 hectare site beside the River Thames. It is now home to the US Embassy, publisher Penguin Random House’s new office, a bustling neighbourhood with cafes and top restaurants such as chef Robin Gill’s Darby’s, landscaped gardens and more than 1,500 apartments. It is also the location of London’s newest landmark, the Sky Pool, a transparent pool installed some 35 metres above street level between two of Embassy Gardens’ apartment buildings.

The development’s own Eg:le club allows residents and their guests access to the Sky Pool and includes a range of amenities. These include a concierge service, club lounge, two workspace suites, private cinema, indoor pool and spa and health and fitness club.

“The popularity of Embassy Gardens has been growing in line with Nine Elms’ remarkable transformation, and the addition of The Modern creates more homes in response to this demand, completing this leading mixed-use development’s residential journey,” says John Mulryan, Group Managing Director of Ballymore.

Almost a hundred iPads have been distributed to primary schools across County Roscommon, in Ireland, in an initiative designed to give children additional support in their education. The upcycled iPads are being given to special needs assistants in Primary Schools to help them in their teaching and support work with pupils.

The donation has been facilitated by Ballymore Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Mulryan and Variety, the Children’s Charity of Ireland, as part of a commitment to promoting equal access to education. Kevin O’Brien, Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Variety, says, “Variety Ireland relies on donors like Sean Mulryan of Ballymore to help us deliver projects that directly benefit children who may need that extra bit of support with learning in the classroom. As a society we need to protect and help our most vulnerable and in doing so we also need to protect the environment. These upcycled iPads do just that”.

The donation of iPads follows on from an initiative last year that saw all 7,500 national school children in Roscommon given a tree to plant in their garden. In recognition of his work, Mulryan has been named the first recipient of Variety Ireland’s Environmental Award. He says, “Supplying upcycled iPads to help special needs assistants is a fantastic idea that will have a big impact on the education of children who may need that little bit more help with their learning. Both our iPad and tree initiatives are designed to help children and spark young people’s curiosity.”

Temperatures soared to the hottest day of the year for the launch of The Brentford Project on Saturday June 1, the new arts and culture summer festival of music, yoga, fun and food celebrating a new chapter for one of west London’s best-kept secrets.

Nearly 1,000 local residents, joined by neighbours from nearby Hounslow, Chiswick and Kew, basked in temperatures of 27.6 degrees on the banks of the River Brent with music from Donel, this year’s runner up in The Voice talent show and Michael Rice, the UK’s contender in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

VIPs attending the event included the leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Steve Curran, who proclaimed: “The Brentford Project is the rebirth of Brentford. We’ve been waiting a long time for this day, and I’m really excited about what this means for Brentford and for the future.

“Without question, the Brentford Project will bring a vitality to the town, lots of people have been waiting a long time for it, and now it’s here I think they’ll be delighted. Brentford’s a special place. It’s a special place in South West London and it’s a special place in Hounslow.”

He was joined by John Mulryan, group managing director of Ballymore, whose redevelopment of the yards and lanes between the high street to the waterfront will bring a lively mix of restaurants, bars and retail to complement a new residential quarter. John explained:

“The Brentford Project is an initiative to try to engage with the community and bring people in, and make sure that as we develop the town centre, it’s done with the community”

“It’s trying to get people to really help us to create this town centre. When you develop in a town like this, the key thing is that you develop in a way that encourages the spirit of the town to grow, by engaging in the community through culture, through arts, through creativity, through design.”

At the launch, friends and families enjoyed delicious fresh pastries and sausage rolls from Brentford’s new bakery and restaurant, Rye by the Water, who turned out more than 1,000 specially-baked pizzas – with a little help from celebrity Irish chef Robin Gill who joined new head chef Ben Rand and Janine Edwards, head baker, in the bakery.

Another big attraction was the classic car collection of the Duke of London with enthusiasts driving their own cars to showcase at the event.

The following week on Thursday June 6, a Beer and Blues event will take place at Rye by the Water with a chance to sample some of west London’s finest craft beers served against a backdrop of blues by Brentford’s very own Robert Hokum.

And on July 11 visitors can join a start-up masterclass with local entrepreneur Merlin McCormack, the man behind Duke of London who will share his knowledge, tips and tricks for building a successful business.

Looking ahead to July 6, Zen in the City will feature yoga and mindfulness classes with RJ Mind Body while on Saturday August 31, the ‘makers of Brentford’ will be coming together for a showcase of the best arts and crafts the area has to offer, with creative workshops and an art exhibition curated by local artist groups.

Finally in mid-August, the Changing Face of Brentford will peel back the layers of the area’s rich history revealing some fascinating insights with the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society with a private dinner hosted in the beautiful surroundings of Rye by the Water.

Visit www.thebrentfordproject.com/events for more information or to book your place.

German real estate investor Union Investment is making its debut in Ireland’s residential sector with the purchase of developer Ballymore’s 8th Lock development, at Royal Canal Park in Dublin. The acquisition, priced at around €200 million, is the first forward funding deal by an end investor in the Irish residential sector.

The move is an expression of investor confidence in both the quality of Ballymore’s development and the broader Dublin residential sector. “We are delighted to be able to realise this ambitious project with our partner Ballymore,” said Martin Schellein, Head of Investment Management Europe at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH. A number of factors made Ireland attractive for the private rented sector (PRS) market, he said: "Ireland has the youngest population in Europe and is experiencing strong demographic trends. Due to the continuous settlement of multinational corporations, there is a high demand for affordable housing, particularly in Dublin and there has been relatively little construction activity in recent years. On the other hand, the rental housing market will benefit from our professional management approach.”

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group CEO of Ballymore said, “We are committed to providing Union Investment with the high-quality development that attracted them to partner with Ballymore”. The 8th Lock development is the final phase of Ballymore’s Royal Canal Park regeneration, which occupies the former Ormond Printworks site, to the north west of Dublin city centre. Its five buildings, rising from four to 13 storeys, will provide around 31,000 square metres of net lettable space, around 28,000 square metres of which will be residential. The residential element will comprise 435 one and two bedroom furnished apartments, all for private rent, with the remaining space being earmarked for commercial use. 

“We are delighted that Union Investment, one of the most experienced and respected real estate investment managers in Europe, has agreed to acquire 8th Lock,” said Mulryan. “From project conception through to delivery, Ballymore projects are renowned for best-in-class design and innovation.”

Construction of 8th Lock is set to begin once government Covid-19 guidelines allow, with completion being scheduled for between October 2023 and March 2025. 

Union Investment was advised by CBRE, A&L Goodbody and PWC.

Culture, classic cars and a feast of culinary delights can be experienced this summer in a series of events at The Brentford Project, Ballymore’s upcoming development in west London. Now in its second year since 2019, the popular Summer Series runs from June to September, with a showcase of local creativity and cultural inspiration.

Fresh produce, street food, refreshments, flowers, terrariums and more will be on sale in The Summer Market, taking place on three Saturdays in June, July and August. Ballymore has teamed up with market specialist RMS Markets to bring artisan and fine foods, and a host of other treats.

Brentford’s own classic and supercar hub Duke of London, which is based at The Factory at The Brentford Project, is displaying its wares, while neighbouring local business, Rye by the Water, is serving up its regular drinks and snacks menu. Local artist Mark Pearce is leading a series of art classes, offering a chance to capture Brentford’s special waterside environment under Pearce’s expert guidance.

Culture comes in other forms, with The Walking Theatre Company transforming The Brentford Project’s outdoor spaces into an island setting for a production of The Tempest and Athens for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both taking place in August. There are inspirational stories and business insights from a string of speakers taking part in The Summer Talks, which can be viewed in person, or online via The Brentford Project’s Instagram IGTV channel. Speakers in the line-up include Elizabeth Haigh, Michelin starred chef and founder of Kaizen House, Grace O’Neill, journalist and co-host of podcast After Work Drinks, and Victoria Prew, CEO and co-founder of wardrobe rental platform, HURR Collective.

For those wanting to get out and active over the summer, there is a timetable of classes and workshops, including weekend workouts with cult fitness brand House of Voga, whose classes are set to a 1980s house music beat. And those looking to get a little closer to nature have a chance to learn more about plants, terrariums and the natural world in monthly workshops by the creatives behind Glass Gardens London.

All events in The Summer Series programme adhere to the Government guidelines in place at the time and are fully compliant and Covid-19 safe. Log on to www.thebrentfordproject.co.uk to find out more about the programme and book your tickets for this year’s events.

Cafes, bars and restaurants at Ballymore’s London developments are ready to welcome customers over the spring and summer, as England’s lockdown is eased. Venues are opening in April with a host of new and improved options for visitors eager to enjoy outdoor drinks and dining in style, close to the River Thames.

Among the first to open its terrace on 12 April is the brand new Homeboy Bar at Embassy Gardens, in west London’s Nine Elms. This is the second Homeboy Bar created by Irish bartending duo Aaron Wall and Ciaran Smith in the capital, and like its Islington predecessor it offers a modern take on renowned Irish hospitality. The bar is set to have its official launch in May, when the government roadmap for England plans to allow indoor service, but before that there is a chance to try Homeboy’s distinctive cocktails and snacks alfresco.

Embassy Gardens’ popular established cocktail bar, The Alchemist, is also opening for outdoor table service, on a non-reservable basis, with a full drinks and select food menu. Nearby café and salon Linnaean is offering customers the opportunity to enjoy its new spring menu and a long-awaited pampering with a hair or beauty treatment or visit to its Medi-Spa.

Embassy Gardens is also home to the NYC inspired oyster bar, open grill and bakery, ‘Darby’s’. Darby’s will be re-opening and serving on their outdoor terrace from the 13th April. ‘The Hatch,’ a lockdown favourite, will also remain in use for takeaway coffee, pastries, and cook at home items until the establishment can fully re open further into the spring.

London City Island, on east London’s Leamouth Peninsula, has a smorgasbord of foodie delights in store for summer visitors. The community’s all-day dining hub, Homestead, opens its terrace on 12 April and is carrying out a makeover of its outdoor space this spring, promising a new outdoor bar and dining area, a barbeque and pizza menu and new planting, lighting, firepits and music to create the perfect ambience for relaxing. It is aiming to re-open for indoor service on 4 June. Visitors to the neighbourhood can also stop by gourmet chocolate shop and studio workshop Cartografie for an extra-special treat.

Also set to make its debut in May is cocktail bar Soda & Friends, a new concept from Nate Brown, the creative force behind such award-winning venues as Merchant House. At Soda & Friends, Brown has created a menu of highballs and cocktails, which will be accompanied by a Japanese-inspired food menu. During the day, visitors will be able to relax with a loose leaf tea.

Last but by no means least, at Royal Wharf, to the east of Canary Wharf, Fullers pub The Windjammer opens its garden on 12 April. For those craving a classic steak and chips or a Sunday roast and a pint, the pub is taking table bookings.

Where is the best place to live? Magazines, television shows and Instagram posts answer that question with pictures of sunny island hideaways, cosy rural retreats and other seemingly idyllic locations. But in reality, quality of life is just as likely to come from having community and amenities all around you in a city.

That has become clear as we have necessarily lived our lives more locally through the pandemic, and it is being confirmed by research studies by the Design Council and others that highlight the importance of being part of a community. Whether it’s a chat with a café owner, the bustle of a weekend market or a stroll around the neighbourhood with friends, we value the opportunity for social interaction close to home. Shops, schools, parks, cycle routes, public transport links and many other elements of a place’s social infrastructure bring us into contact with each other and with nature, expand our horizons and improve our sense of wellbeing.

All these features and more can be found in London, where every neighbourhood has its own distinctive high streets, heritage and open spaces. Docklands, for example, has amenities in Canary Wharf’s shopping centre, its own museum, numerous transport links, the River Thames and the docks themselves. There is also a community within Docklands at Ballymore’s Wardian development, in South Dock.

With 767 homes, Wardian forms its own village community, where residents can work and meet business associates or relax with friends and neighbours. The amenities for residents include a cinema-style screening room, high level lounge and meeting space, gym, pool and spa. The development has its own distinctive environment, being designed to biophilic principles, which promote wellbeing through connections to nature. The connection to nature is most evident in the communal areas’ floor-to-ceiling glass cases containing rare and exotic plants and the apartments’ wraparound balcony gardens.

This is not Ballymore’s only new village in the city. Further east along the River Thames sit the neighbouring waterside communities of London City Island and Goodluck Hope. They too feature resident amenities for relaxation, exercise and meeting friends, neighbours and business colleagues.

London City Island is becoming established as a cultural hub in its own right as a home to new creative businesses, the English National Ballet and, in the future, the London Film School. For their residents, these new city villages have a lot to offer.

English National Ballet’s new headquarters at London City Island is to be named the Mulryan Centre for Dance, in recognition of the support given to date by the family of Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Ballymore, and his wife Bernardine.

The state-of-the-art building, designed by Glenn Howells Architects, has won numerous awards for its design quality and is a transformational project for the ballet company, providing purpose-designed rehearsal space for its world class performers, as well as housing the English National Ballet School and administrative functions. The building is located in the new London City Island neighbourhood, which is close to Canary Wharf, putting ballet at the heart of the east London community. This connection to community is emphasised in the building’s open design, with its large windows, allowing the public glimpses of dancers at work.

“This building has transformed the way we work, providing us with the scale and versatility to be more creative and ambitious than ever before,” said Tamara Rojo CBE, Artistic Director of English National Ballet. “That has been particularly true this last year when, despite the huge challenges faced, it has allowed our dancers to safely rehearse, given us the space to innovate and create, and enabled us to continue connecting with our audiences and communities, near and far.”

Rojo said, “On behalf of all of us at English National Ballet I want to thank Sean Mulryan for his incredible generosity”.

Ballymore Chairman and Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan has long fostered culture and the arts as part of neighbourhood regeneration in London. He highlighted the value of English National Ballet and the arts more generally, saying, “The arts, culture and design are essential to our lives and to our wellbeing. We must appreciate the significance of the arts to our quality of life; in particular it is this that gives London its soul. English National Ballet is a treasured national asset, and we should all be grateful for what they and other artistic talents, bring to our society. I have been pleased to support them, and urge others to support the arts, especially at this very difficult time.”

London City Island townhouses radically ‘reimagined’ to offer optimum open space and connectivity, lacking in ‘the little box’ design of most traditional models, are making waves.

The individually designed townhouses are the brainchild of leading interior designers, Amos & Amos, which has already worked on key Ballymore developments at Embassy Gardens, Wardian and Dublin Landings since 2013. Said co-founder Jaki Amos:

“We wanted to move away from the traditional idea of the townhouse which sometimes can be a series of boxes, a collection of rooms with a door. We wanted to reimagine a new connectivity with more open space so the ground floor of each townhouse is open plan, with an expansive hallway and open study.”

Materials in the townhouses reference “the industrial nature and heritage and history of the docklands with sleek crittall-style glazed partitions to flood the spaces with natural light and blackened steel to introduce character and soul into the space – not just Dulux brilliant white everywhere!” explained Jaki.

London City Island’s largest homes with uninterrupted views across the River Lea, the townhouses are located next to English National Ballet’s new London headquarters, placing buyers at the heart of an island of art and creativity.

The townhouses are also marked by a vibrant red brick façade, and each has three bedrooms, expansive living spaces, a secluded ground floor terrace and private parking. Three of the properties have lifts, and the largest has five storeys, and features in addition a beautiful private roof terrace for al fresco dining and entertainment.

The kitchens - the heart of each home – include a striking polished concrete island and black stained rough-cut oak dining table as focal points, complemented by timber and brushed brass cabinetry and white-oiled oak flooring.

The living rooms include low marble plinths and contemporary design features, leaving space for large scale art and sculptures. Amos & Amos has also incorporated a range of bespoke fixtures and fittings, including faraday-pattern metalwork and tan leather that reflect the area’s maritime heritage, with industrial bathtubs and matte blackened steel brassware.

There are two townhouse-types available for purchase: four four-storey three-bedroom types and three five-storey three-bedroom townhouse, with prices starting from £1.45 million.

Jaki Amos said: “The townhouses marked a real opportunity to create unique design-led living spaces which build upon the Island’s boldness and creativity, whilst simultaneously referencing the site’s rich industrial past.”

Jenny Steen, Sales Director, Ballymore, added: “Our vision for London City Island has always been to create a vibrant community that is architecturally-led and the townhouses are yet further proof of the unique living spaces on offer at the development.”

Looking at the west London suburb of Brentford today, it’s hard to imagine that an area around its busy high street was once home to an internationally significant plant nursery that in the eighteenth century exported fruit trees and seeds as far away as Australia. This is just one episode in Brentford’s rich but relatively little known local history, which is being researched for Ballymore’s emerging development, The Brentford Project.

The research stems from developer Ballymore’s aspiration for The Brentford Project to be distinctively local. “We’re trying to bring out the history of the site through its stories,” says landscape architect Huw Morgan. Morgan is working with landscape architect Grant Associates to introduce echoes of the past into the development’s new landscaped squares, lanes and other open spaces.

The site sits between the high street and the confluence of the Brent and Thames rivers, and the architects behind the development’s masterplan, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Glenn Howells Architects and Maccreanor Lavington, are restoring access to the waterfront, which has long been hidden from public view. They are also introducing a series of pedestrian lanes leading to the water that take their lead from the area’s historic industrial yards.

Brentford’s heritage as the capital’s bustling market garden, growing fruit and vegetables and transporting them into the city in willow baskets via the waterways, provide plenty of inspiration for Morgan and other members of the project team. Hugh Ronalds, Brentford’s illustrious nurseryman and horticulturalist, grew some 300 varieties of apples on his six sites, even charting many varieties in a book published in the early 1830s, called Pyrus Malus Brentfordiensis. Under the new development’s landscape design, fruit trees are set to make a reappearance, featuring in the domestic courtyards.

Willow trees growing along the waterfront historically provided the raw material for the area’s numerous basketmakers, whose wares were used to transport fruit and vegetables to the capital. “The painter JMW Turner went to school in Brentford and made pencil sketches of the pollarded willows on the Thames,” explains Morgan. Willows have already been incorporated into the waterside square beside the development’s café, Rye by the Water, and will be reintroduced to their natural waterfront setting under the broader landscaping design.

The new lanes and yards echo history in their more intimate scale and are designed to welcome people into the development, encouraging them to explore the 4.79 hectare site’s open spaces, waterfront, independent cafes and shops. “When you walk along the high street, there is a lack of recognition of how close to the water you are, so the design opens up access and views,” says Morgan. Planting across the overall development will range from large potted trees in the yards to green corridors promoting biodiversity. Podium gardens to the apartment buildings, which will contain 876 homes in all, will each have their own distinctive planting theme, such as woodland or colourful florals.

The resulting quarter will have a mix of landscaped spaces, balancing natural greenery with paved open spaces to allow visitors and residents to find tranquillity or enjoy the bustle of activity. Throughout, the planting will provide a thread linking the site’s past to its future, becoming part of The Brentford Project’s own story.

This has been an extraordinary year and we have all had to do things differently, whether in working, living or staying in touch with our family and friends. Through the year’s adversity, Ballymore has come up with ways of continuing to foster regeneration and placemaking, completing the construction of 2,000 homes in the UK and Ireland and laying the foundations for social and economic sustainability.

We responded to rapidly changing circumstances by introducing a string of innovations and initiatives to help us continue delivering for our customers safely and support our communities. We introduced new working practices on our sites to keep workers COVID-safe and in Ireland worked alongside the government and its Construction Industry Federation to help shape new safety standards. Across our communities we worked with local entrepreneurs to keep supplies of groceries flowing through the first lockdown and help our independent businesses connect with customers.

These achievements and more through 2020 have relied on a little help from our friends, notably the hard work of our team members and our strong relationships with our partners and communities. “I’ve never been prouder of our teams than in this year. I have been humbled by the effort that has been made,” says Ballymore Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan.

In all, over 1,700 new homes have been handed over at developments in the UK, including Royal Wharf, Goodluck Hope and Wardian in east London. In Ireland we completed over 390 homes and sold out our family homes at Longstone and Bellingsfield, in Naas, County Kildare, in record time. At Royal Wharf, buildings were handed over ahead of schedule during the first lockdown and in September we completed the neighbourhood with its 3,385 homes, school and other amenities. “Perhaps the greatest achievement there was the practical completion of the primary school, just as kids were getting back to school after some challenging months of teaching from home,” points out Mulryan.

At the same time, we’ve been working with local authorities and existing communities to shape future places, submitting planning applications for developments such as The Brentford Project in London and winning the go-ahead for projects including the new neighbourhood at Connolly Street in Dublin and Mill Harbour on the Isle of Dogs, for 1,700 new homes, leisure, two schools, new parks, and retail. There are many more exciting new projects on the way, the best known being The Guinness Quarter at St James’s Gate, in Dublin, where drinks giant Diageo this year chose Ballymore to partner in the creation of the city’s first zero carbon district.

Having overcome the challenges of 2020, Mulryan is now looking ahead. “With so many of our major regeneration projects nearing the end of construction, we’ve got our eyes on the next prize projects,” he says. “Edgware, Ladbroke Grove, Cuba Street and Knights Road…these will all be names you will hear more of in 2021.” Watch this space.

Mural artist Jo Hicks - or Hixxy as she is better known - has completed a bold, nature-inspired work at Ballymore’s Brentford Project, in west London. The new artwork gives a fresh and vibrant face to all four elevations of a multi-storey car park that is awaiting cladding under the large-scale regeneration project.

Hixxy is known for her coloured botanical designs and for her latest work she has taken inspiration from Brentford’s nature, waterways and heritage. Golden marsh marigold flowers, a weeping willow tree, a kingfisher and a great crested grebe all adorn the car park, alongside Brentford Football Club’s trademark bees and an Ionic column, which evokes the nearby grade 1 listed Syon House.

“My aim was to create a positive, beautiful and uplifting image inspired by the local area, giving a very grey building an injection of colour and life,” said the artist. “We’re excited to be working with Hixxy on this artwork project,” said Ballymore managing director John Mulryan. “She has fantastic experience in creating interesting and creative murals across the country that speak to their local audiences in a culturally relevant way.”

The mural will be in place for up to three years, as Ballymore continues to regenerate the site, restoring connections to Brentford’s waterside, creating new public spaces and amenities and developing a neighbourhood of 876 homes. Hixxy’s optimistic vision will play its own part in the regeneration process, said Mulryan. “Her work on the car park building will enliven the town centre with a new point of interest for residents and locals.”

See how Hixxy created the mural by watching the short film, above.

The doors have opened to the first residents at east London’s Wardian, revealing a new way of living in closer harmony with nature in the capital. The scheme in South Dock, close to Canary Wharf, combines sleek, high rise architecture with tranquil greenery and biophilic design to create a rare sanctuary in the city.

The project required its creative team of Glenn Howells Architects and landscape architect Huw Morgan to marry biophilic principles, which aim to foster health and wellbeing by connecting people to nature, with a thoroughly urban design, which comprises two towers rising to 55 and 50 storeys high. The marriage is apparent to visitors entering the 767-home development, as communal areas contain floor-to-ceiling glass cases and spaces planted with more than 100 species of rare and exotic plants. The inspiration for Wardian’s glass cases - and its name - comes from the Wardian case, a protective glass case similar to a terrarium, which was invented by botanist Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward and used by nineteenth century plant collectors.

In keeping with the scheme’s green ethos, residents have their own private gardens, some more than 37 square metres in size. Both homes and gardens can be greened with the help of Wardian’s The Gardener landscaping service, which provides both seasonal plant packages and maintenance. Homes have floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the sense of light, space and outdoors, while the projecting garden terraces provide solar shading, removing the need for air conditioning. The eco-conscious approach extends to the homes’ interiors, which are finished in natural organic materials.

“A central idea of Wardian was to connect people with nature and outside space,” says Glenn Howells, founding partner at Glenn Howells Architects. “In particular we are keen to see how residents make use of the generous private terraces along with the communal gardens and amenities.” Amenities in the development’s Wardian Club for residents include a cinema, swimming pool and spa and a high level lounge and meeting space with spectacular views.

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, is proud of the scheme’s design ambition. He says, “We have worked closely with Glenn Howells Architects to create an impressive new addition to the Canary Wharf skyline. This completely unique ‘bringing the outside in’ design concept, on the doorstep of one of the fastest growing commercial districts, has now been realised.”

位於倫敦東部Leamouth半島的巴利摩的開發項目倫敦城市島上，一個全新的全天候的餐飲模式即將推出。這家與眾不同的餐廳名曰Homestead，是服務於倫敦東部新社區的第一家也是主要的一家餐廳。一旦政府的餐飲禁令解除後，餐廳將全天開放，菜單將包括從早到晚的各時段餐飲，餐廳選購的是良心食材的供應商以及小型農場的產品。目前，該餐廳採用外賣、時鮮專櫃和訂購取貨的經營模式，讓人們有多種機會品嚐到他們所提供的食品。

Homestead的這一創意理念是出自創意總監、前Ritz酒店主廚Sven-Hanson Britt，並與Unlocked合夥公司的運營總監Scott Ward以及品牌和傳播總監Tris Hillier共同合作。儘管有疫情的禁令，但這三個飲食業的行家對倫敦城市島充滿信心，還是決定按時開業。 Britt說：“在過去的幾個月裡，東倫敦的餐飲狀況已經完全改變了，這意味著我們之前所了解的外出就餐的情況與現在大相徑庭。我和我的家人已搬到了城市島，這裡是創意和藝術家的中心，需要為他們提供美食。”

Hillier補充道：”儘管目前因疫情採取了封鎖措施，但實際上我們覺得現在是推出Homestead的絕佳時機，因為大家都待在家裡。這是一個讓大家了解我們的絕好時機，所以我們很期待推出Homestead。我們創建Homestead是為了讓城市島的居民將以前只能在餐館享用的菜餚可以購買到家。”

在目前的封鎖期間，Homestead提供外賣包括各式三明治和餡餅，以及蔬菜馬莎曼咖哩和其他烹製菜餚。一旦禁令解除，餐廳將提供堂食和飲品選擇，菜餚的食材選自高品質的小型供應商提供的肉類、魚類和蔬菜，並採用炭烤烹飪。廚房是由前倫敦Maze餐廳的行政總廚James Durrant帶領的一個廚師團隊為客人服務。除此之外，Homestead還有自己的酒吧，在禁令期間，餐廳與Brewdog合作，推出了一個移動酒吧，設在了倫敦城市島的Hopewell廣場上。

Homestead還有時鮮專櫃，這個櫃檯提供優質肉類、手工鮮意大利面、各式奶酪和魚類，所有食材都來提供良心食品的供應商包括英國的當日捕漁船、高福利農場和小型食材手工生產商。時鮮專櫃在禁令期一直保持營業，並將繼續成為Homestead經營的重要組成部分，同時也展現了其向社區提供最佳食材的承諾 。 Britt解釋說：”這一切都關乎產品背後的來源、故事、誠信和可追溯性。最終，家園（Homestead）與社區是水乳交融的，我們將繼續努力為東倫敦不斷壯大的社區提供更多有意義的東西。”

運營總監Ward補充道：“Homestead是一個我們自己以及我們的朋友和家人都趨之若鶩的地方。我們組建的精幹的團隊令人嘖嘖稱讚；我們也感到非常榮幸地在英國服務業面臨困境下還能夠僱傭到如此出色的員工，並能夠直接從農莊、漁民和種植者那裡購買食材，在這個非常的時期給他們以最直接的幫助。” Homestead在封鎖期間的開放時間是每天早上8點到晚上8點。

位于伦敦东部Leamouth半岛的巴利摩的开发项目伦敦城市岛上，一个全新的全天候的餐饮模式即将推出。这家与众不同的餐厅名曰Homestead，是服务于伦敦东部新社区的第一家也是主要的一家餐厅。一旦政府的餐饮禁令解除后，餐厅将全天开放，菜单将包括从早到晚的各时段餐饮，餐厅选购的是良心食材的供应商以及小型农场的产品。目前，该餐厅采用外卖、时鲜专柜和订购取货的经营模式，让人们有多种机会品尝到他们所提供的食品。

Homestead的这一创意理念是出自创意总监、前Ritz酒店主厨Sven-Hanson Britt，并与Unlocked合伙公司的运营总监Scott Ward以及品牌和传播总监Tris Hillier共同合作。尽管有疫情的禁令，但这三个饮食业的行家对伦敦城市岛充满信心，还是决定按时开业。Britt说：“在过去的几个月里，东伦敦的餐饮状况已经完全改变了，这意味着我们之前所了解的外出就餐的情况与现在大相径庭。我和我的家人已搬到了城市岛，这里是创意和艺术家的中心，需要为他们提供美食。”

Hillier补充道：”尽管目前因疫情采取了封锁措施，但实际上我们觉得现在是推出Homestead的绝佳时机，因为大家都待在家里。这是一个让大家了解我们的绝好时机，所以我们很期待推出Homestead。我们创建Homestead是为了让城市岛的居民将以前只能在餐馆享用的菜肴可以购买到家。”

在目前的封锁期间，Homestead提供外卖包括各式三明治和馅饼，以及蔬菜马莎曼咖喱和其他烹制菜肴。一旦禁令解除，餐厅将提供堂食和饮品选择，菜肴的食材选自高品质的小型供应商提供的肉类、鱼类和蔬菜，并采用炭烤烹饪。厨房是由前伦敦Maze餐厅的行政总厨James Durrant带领的一个厨师团队为客人服务。除此之外，Homestead还有自己的酒吧，在禁令期间，餐厅与Brewdog合作，推出了一个移动酒吧，设在了伦敦城市岛的Hopewell广场上。

Homestead还有时鲜专柜，这个柜台提供优质肉类、手工鲜意大利面、各式奶酪和鱼类，所有食材都来提供良心食品的供应商包括英国的当日捕渔船、高福利农场和小型食材手工生产商 。时鲜专柜在禁令期一直保持营业，并将继续成为Homestead经营的重要组成部分，同时也展现了其向社区提供最佳食材的承诺 。Britt解释说：”这一切都关乎产品背后的来源、故事、诚信和可追溯性。最终，家园（Homestead）与社区是水乳交融的，我们将继续努力为东伦敦不断壮大的社区提供更多有意义的东西。”

运营总监Ward补充道：“Homestead是一个我们自己以及我们的朋友和家人都趋之若鹜的地方 。我们组建的精干的团队令人啧啧称赞；我们也感到非常荣幸地在英国服务业面临困境下还能够雇佣到如此出色的员工，并能够直接从农庄、渔民和种植者那里购买食材，在这个非常的时期给他们以最直接的帮助。” Homestead在封锁期间的开放时间是每天早上8点到晚上8点。

倫敦市長薩迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）已批准了靠近利物浦街車站的Bishopsgate Goodsyard地區的重建計劃，將在首都的中心地帶建立一個集生活、工作、文化和休閒於一體的場所。 56年前一場大火燒毀了這裡，目前該地區的複興之路已得到確認，項目的總體規劃獲得市長的支持，該項目承諾將給當地帶來獨立的商家和初創企業、住宅區，充滿活力的社區，豐富的文化以及一個靈感源自曼哈頓高線公園的新公園。

市長的支持對於合資開發商Ballymore和Hammerson來說是一個里程碑，他們合作的經歷已有18年之久，彼此的默契促成了這次在前貨倉和加油站舊址上的重建項目。該地橫跨Hackney和Tower Hamlets，坐落Shoreditch和倫敦老城之間，被巴利摩集團董事長約翰·馬里安（John Mulryan）稱之為“整個倫敦中心地區所存留的最大型的重大改造機會之一”。

該總體規劃由建築師事務所FaulknerBrowns設計，為城市生活和工作提出了一個全新的願景，即多元化、獨特性和可持續發展。它包括140萬平方英尺的工作空間，其中大部分空間價格合理可滿足小企業和創意產業的需求，還設有一個文化場所和一個展覽廳。在為該項目規劃的500套住宅中，有許多是為家庭設計的，其中一半的房屋為可負擔得起的經濟適用房。

該地具有維多利亞時代特色的歷史建築作為鐵路遺產將被保留下來並被賦予新的生命力，包括被列為國家II級保護的850英尺長的Braithwaite高架橋，它將被打造成為一個高層的、高線公園和城市長廊。景觀建築師Spacehub負責改建地塊2.5英畝非凡新穎的公園，使之成為無車的、更為私密的戶外步行空間。與FaulknerBrowns一起參與這個大型項目的建築師事務所還包括Buckley Gray Yeoman、Eric Parry Architects和Chris Dyson Architects。

這塊敏感而重要的地方有著較長的規劃歷史，其開發商在六年前首次申請規劃許可。雖然最初的建議符合2010年通過的臨時規劃指南，但當與社區及主要利益相關方的協商後發現還需重新規劃。因此，建築高度降低了和住房數量減少了，還增加了經濟適用房的比例。 ”我們傾聽了市民的意見，認真對待他們的關心的要點，設計發生了巨大的化。”巴里摩的董事長馬里安先生說。這個傾聽的過程包括諮詢並與2,500多名當地居民和企業接觸。開發商希望在2022年初開始展開對該地區的改造工程，不僅建設新的公園、住宅和工作區，還可能創造超過11,000個工作崗位。 Bishopsgate Goodsyard將再次成為一個生機勃勃充滿活力的地區。

伦敦市长萨迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）已批准了靠近利物浦街车站的Bishopsgate Goodsyard地区的重建计划，将在首都的中心地带建立一个集生活、工作、文化和休闲于一体的场所。56年前一场大火烧毁了这里，目前该地区的复兴之路已得到确认，项目的总体规划获得市长的支持，该项目承诺将给当地带来独立的商家和初创企业、住宅区，充满活力的社区，丰富的文化以及一个灵感源自曼哈顿高线公园的新公园。

市长的支持对于合资开发商Ballymore和Hammerson来说是一个里程碑，他们合作的经历已有18年之久，彼此的默契促成了这次在前货仓和加油站旧址上的重建项目。该地横跨Hackney和Tower Hamlets，坐落Shoreditch和伦敦老城之间，被巴利摩集团董事长约翰·马里安（John Mulryan）称之为 “整个伦敦中心地区所存留的最大型的重大改造机会之一”。

该总体规划由建筑师事务所FaulknerBrowns设计，为城市生活和工作提出了一个全新的愿景，即多元化、独特性和可持续发展。它包括140万平方英尺的工作空间，其中大部分空间价格合理可满足小企业和创意产业的需求，还设有一个文化场所和一个展览厅。在为该项目规划的500套住宅中，有许多是为家庭设计的，其中一半的房屋为可负担得起的经济适用房。

该地具有维多利亚时代特色的历史建筑作为铁路遗产将被保留下来并被赋予新的生命力，包括被列为国家II级保护的850英尺长的Braithwaite高架桥，它将被打造成为一个高层的、高线公园和城市长廊。景观建筑师Spacehub负责改建地块2.5英亩非凡新颖的公园，使之成为无车的、更为私密的户外步行空间。与FaulknerBrowns一起参与这个大型项目的建筑师事务所还包括Buckley Gray Yeoman、Eric Parry Architects和Chris Dyson Architects。

这块敏感而重要的地方有着较长的规划历史，其开发商在六年前首次申请规划许可。虽然最初的建议符合2010年通过的临时规划指南，但当与社区及主要利益相关方的协商后发现还需重新规划。因此，建筑高度降低了和住房数量减少了，还增加了经济适用房的比例。”我们倾听了市民的意见，认真对待他们的关心的要点，设计发生了巨大的化。”巴里摩的董事长马里安先生说。这个倾听的过程包括咨询并与2,500多名当地居民和企业接触。开发商希望在2022年初开始展开对该地区的改造工程，不仅建设新的公园、住宅和工作区，还可能创造超过11,000个工作岗位。Bishopsgate Goodsyard将再次成为一个生机勃勃充满活力的地区。

A new concept in all-day dining has arrived at Ballymore’s London City Island, on the Leamouth Peninsula, east London. Called Homestead, this restaurant-with-a-difference is the first and principal dining destination serving the new east London community. Once lockdown dining restrictions have lifted, the restaurant will be open all day with menu options extending from early breakfasts to evening dinners, created using ethically sourced and small farm produce. For now, the facility is operating as a takeaway kitchen, deli and store for collection, giving people a chance to sample what it has to offer.

Homestead’s concept is the vision of creative director and former chef at the Ritz, Sven-Hanson Britt, who is working with the Unlocked partnership’s Scott Ward, director of operations, and Tris Hillier, brand and communications director. In spite of the lockdown this trio of industry experts decided to go ahead with the opening in London City Island because of their confidence in the area. Britt says, “The East London food scene has completely changed over the past few months, meaning everything we knew before about eating out is now different. My family and I have moved to City Island, a hub of creativity and artists in need of a great food offering.”

Hillier adds, “Despite the current lockdown measures we actually feel it is a great time to launch Homestead as everyone is at home. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet everyone and so we are looking forward to launching. We’ve created Homestead as a way of providing for the City Island community, offering food that would have previously only been sold directly to restaurants or impossible for a consumer to directly purchase themselves.”

During the current lockdown Homestead is offering takeaway options, including sandwiches and pies, as well as aubergine massaman curry and other hot dishes. Once lockdown restrictions are lifted, the restaurant will offer dining in and drinking options, the former featuring high quality meats, fish and vegetables produced by small suppliers and cooked on a charcoal grill. The kitchen is led by executive chef James Durrant, former executive chef at London’s Maze restaurant, who will oversee a team of chefs. Alongside the kitchen, Homestead has its own bar but during lockdown the restaurant has partnered with Brewdog to bring a mobile bar to London City Island’s Hopewell Square.

There is also Homestead’s Counter, a deli offering quality meats, homemade pasta and cheese and fish, all ethically sourced from British day boats, high welfare farms and small artisan producers. Counter is open through lockdown and will remain an essential ingredient of the Homestead hub, as well as an expression of its commitment to delivering the best ingredients to its community. Britt explains the ethos: “It’s all about provenance, the story, the ethics and the traceability behind the products. Ultimately, Homestead is all about community, which we will contribute to by delivering something meaningful to our ever-growing family of neighbours here in East London.”

Director of operations Ward adds, “Homestead is a place that we would be excited about visiting ourselves, with our friends and family. The team we have put together is amazing; we feel very privileged to be able to hire people during this difficult time for UK hospitality, and buy direct from farmers, fishermen and growers who need our support more than ever.” Homestead is open during lockdown from 8am to 8pm every day.

當布朗(Brown)和阿爾科克(Alcock)成為首個直飛穿越大西洋的飛行員，完成這一壯舉的一個世紀之後，在愛爾蘭克利夫登(Clifden)鎮廣場上兩位著名飛行員的精美的青銅雕像揭幕了。巴利摩(Ballymore)集團首席執行官肖恩·馬里安（Sean Mulryan）對著揭幕的雕像沉吟道：也許是因為新鮮的吉尼斯啤酒的誘惑，引領著飛行員來到克利夫登。

“我不同意所有的歷史解讀，我將告訴你原因。他們（阿爾科克和布朗）完全知道他們要去哪裡。他們已經閱讀了關於克利夫登以及音樂和舞蹈的評論。當他們從飛機降落後說出的第一句話是：“我們想要兩杯吉尼斯啤酒，請盡快！ ”

在克利夫登創建永久雕像之前，愛爾蘭舉辦了2019年阿爾考克與布朗飛行100週年節日慶典，這標誌著去年是他們那次飛行的一百週年紀念。約翰·阿爾考克 和亞瑟·布朗駕駛著經過改裝的Vickers Vimy雙翼重型轟炸機從加拿大紐芬蘭（Newfoundland)的聖約翰斯（St Johns）啟程。他們於1919年6月14日下午早些時候從聖約翰斯起飛，衝破雲層，經歷了雪，冰和發動機近乎失靈的險情下橫穿大西洋， 最終降落在戈爾韋郡的克利夫登的馬可尼站(Marconi Station)，整個飛行歷經了16小時28分鐘。

《每日郵報》向第一次直飛大西洋的飛行員提供了10,000英鎊（約合今天的100萬英鎊）的獎勵。幾天之內，當時的首相溫斯頓·丘吉爾（Winston Churchill）也給予他們獎勵，他們還被國王喬治五世授以爵位。

該雕像由愛爾蘭青銅藝術公司精心製作，它是1950年代在倫敦希思羅機場豎立的一座紀念碑的原版複製品，該雕像在藝術節期間曾暫時在愛爾蘭展出過。原始雕像是由英國政府委託著名雕塑家威廉·麥克米蘭（William McMillan）創作。藝術節結束後，這座原版複製的雕像將在克利夫登的廣場上永久佇立。肖恩·馬里安和他的妻子伯納丁·馬里安（Bernadine Mulryan）提供資金資助了該項目，讓雕像得以成功複製。

“建造博物館是下一個目標，其中包括飛機的複製品和世界上所有有關航空的偉大故事的歷史，我認為這對克利夫登旅遊業來說將是一件很棒的事情。因此，如果我們在朋友們的幫助下將博物館建成，這對克利夫登的社區、就業和旅遊業將帶來巨大的裨益。我們將為實現這一目標而努力”。

英國駐愛爾蘭大使羅賓·巴內特（Robin Barnett）本月在肖恩和伯納丁·馬里安的協助下正式揭幕了這座雕像。肖恩說“阿爾科克和布朗出色的飛行必須被記住、被紀念，尤其是在克利夫登。伯納丁和我很高興為實現這一目標發揮了我們應有的作用，毫無疑問，這座雕像將為這個美麗的地方的旅遊業增添光彩。”

当布朗(Brown)和阿尔科克(Alcock)成为首个直飞穿越大西洋的飞行员，完成这一壮举的一个世纪之后，在爱尔兰克利夫登(Clifden)镇广场上两位著名飞行员的精美的青铜雕像揭幕了。巴利摩(Ballymore)集团首席执行官肖恩·马里安（Sean Mulryan）对着揭幕的雕像沉吟道：也许是因为新鲜的吉尼斯啤酒的诱惑，引领着飞行员来到克利夫登。

“我不同意所有的历史解读，我将告诉你原因。他们（阿尔科克和布朗）完全知道他们要去哪里。他们已经阅读了关于克利夫登以及音乐和舞蹈的评论。当他们从飞机降落后说出的第一句话是：“我们想要两杯吉尼斯啤酒，请尽快！ ”

在克利夫登创建永久雕像之前，爱尔兰举办了2019年阿尔考克与布朗飞行100周年节日庆典，这标志着去年是他们那次飞行的一百周年纪念。约翰·阿尔考克 和亚瑟·布朗驾驶着经过改装的Vickers Vimy双翼重型轰炸机从加拿大纽芬兰（Newfoundland)的圣约翰斯（St Johns）启程。他们于1919年6月14日下午早些时候从圣约翰斯起飞，冲破云层，经历了雪，冰和发动机近乎失灵的险情下横穿大西洋， 最终降落在戈尔韦郡的克利夫登的马可尼站(Marconi Station)，整个飞行历经了16小时28分钟。

《每日邮报》向第一次直飞大西洋的飞行员提供了10,000英镑（约合今天的100万英镑）的奖励。几天之内，当时的首相温斯顿·丘吉尔（Winston Churchill）也给予他们奖励，他們还被国王乔治五世授以爵位。

该雕像由爱尔兰青铜艺术公司精心制作，它是1950年代在伦敦希思罗机场竖立的一座纪念碑的原版复制品，该雕像在艺术节期间曾暂时在爱尔兰展出过。原始雕像是由英国政府委托著名雕塑家威廉·麦克米兰（William McMillan）创作。艺术节结束后，这座原版复制的雕像将在克利夫登的广场上永久伫立。肖恩·马里安和他的妻子伯纳丁·马里安（Bernadine Mulryan）提供资金资助了该项目，让雕像得以成功复制。

“建造博物馆是下一个目标，其中包括飞机的复制品和世界上所有有关航空的伟大故事的历史，我认为这对克利夫登旅游业来说将是一件很棒的事情。因此，如果我们在朋友们的帮助下将博物馆建成，这对克利夫登的社区、就业和旅游业将带来巨大的裨益。我们将为实现这一目标而努力”。

英国驻爱尔兰大使罗宾·巴内特（Robin Barnett）本月在肖恩和伯纳丁·马里安的协助下正式揭幕了这座雕像。肖恩说“阿尔科克和布朗出色的飞行必须被记住、被纪念，尤其是在克利夫登。伯纳丁和我很高兴为实现这一目标发挥了我们应有的作用，毫无疑问，这座雕像将为这个美丽的地方的旅游业增添光彩。”

London mayor Sadiq Khan has given the go ahead for the regeneration of Bishopsgate Goodsyard, close to Liverpool Street station, with a living, working, culture and leisure quarter in the heart of the capital. Almost 56 years to the day after a fire laid waste to the site its renaissance has been confirmed, with backing for a masterplan that promises to bring independent traders and business start-ups, homes, vibrancy, culture and a new public park inspired by Manhattan’s High Line.

The mayor’s support is a milestone for joint venture developers, Ballymore and Hammerson, which have been working for 18 years to bring their plans for the former goods depot and station site to this point. Spanning the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, the site sits between Shoreditch and the City, being described by Ballymore group managing director John Mulryan as, “one of the greatest remaining opportunities in the whole of central London for major regeneration”.

The masterplan, by architect FaulknerBrowns, sets out a fresh vision for city living and working that is diverse, distinctive and sustainable. It includes 1.4 million square feet of workspace, much of it affordable and catering for small business and the creative industries, as well as a cultural venue and an exhibition space. Many of the 500 homes planned for the development will be designed for families and half of them will be made available on affordable tenures.

Historic structures from the site’s Victorian railway heritage will be retained and brought back into use, including the grade 2 listed, 850 foot long Braithwaite Viaduct, which will become a high level, High Line-style park and urban promenade. Landscape architect Spacehub is responsible for creating the site’s extraordinary new 2.5 acre park, as well as the more intimate outdoor spaces in this car-free environment. Architects working on this large scale project alongside FaulknerBrowns include Buckley Gray Yeoman, Eric Parry Architects and Chris Dyson Architects.

This sensitive and important site has had a lengthy planning history, with its developers first applying for planning consent six years ago. Although the initial proposals were in line with the Interim Planning Guidance adopted for the site in 2010, consultation with the community and key stakeholders made it clear that a rethink was needed. As a result, building heights and housing numbers have been reduced and the proportion of affordable homes increased. “We’ve listened to people and taken their concerns seriously, and the design has changed dramatically,” said Ballymore’s Mulryan. That listening process has included consulting and engaging with more than 2,500 local people and businesses. The developers hope to begin work on the site’s transformation in early 2022, bringing not only a new park, homes and workspace but also the potential for the creation of more than 11,000 jobs. Bishopsgate Goodsyard is set to take its place as a vibrant destination once more.

A good place to live, work and spend time where the essentials of daily life are within a gentle 15-minute walk or cycle ride rather than a drive away: that’s the fundamental principle of the 15-minute city concept. Created by Professor Carlos Moreno in Paris and promoted by that city’s mayor, this way of thinking about what makes a good city is now capturing interest in London and other locations that are plotting a more sustainable future.

London has a rich tapestry of more than 600 high streets and neighbourhoods, many historically already having some of the characteristics that the 15-minute city concept promotes. Brentford, in west London, is one example, with its high street, waterside location and numerous activities. It has Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rated schools and a university campus, major sources of employment, a health centre, shops and heritage businesses in its boatyards and breweries. There are also varied opportunities for leisure at Brentford Football Club, Watermans arts centre, the nearby green spaces of Syon Park and Kew Gardens and Green and even local museums showcasing musical instruments and water pumping steam engines.

Like a number of London’s historic neighbourhoods, Brentford has suffered as traditional industry has diminished and shopping habits have changed. But that has created an opportunity to regenerate and help Brentford to shape its future sustainability, while making the most of its heritage and natural assets. A 4.79 hectare site between the high street and the River Brent is being regenerated by Ballymore with a mix of homes, 50 spaces for retailers and independent local businesses and a community hub, which will be created in a grade 2* listed church on the site.

The site was formerly fronted by shops and had historic waterside industry behind, limiting public access to the river beyond. Regeneration will integrate this site back into its neighbourhood and reconnect river and community. Open space will be created on the waterfront, while heritage buildings will be revived and reused and historic yards and lanes reinstated. Local people will be able to stroll, shop, eat, drink, work or simply sit and relax within this largely car-free waterside setting.

The new quarter designed by architects AHMM, Glenn Howells and Maccreanor Lavington will provide 876 homes in all. “Part of sustainability lies in building these high density schemes in locations where people don’t have to travel very far necessarily to get to their work, school or other amenities. We also have a lot of facilities on site at The Brentford Project, which encourages people to stay in their local area,” says John Mulryan, group managing director of Ballymore. Facilities in the residents’ own club, The Wick, include a pool, outdoor games terrace, gym and meeting spaces. This placemaking approach with its emphasis on well-connected location, compact development and carefully considered uses can help foster social, environmental and economic value.

In his recent TED talk about his 15-minute city concept Professor Carlos Moreno says: “We accept that in cities our sense of time is warped, because we have to waste so much of it just adapting to the absurd organisation and long distances of most of today’s cities. Why is it we who have to adapt and to degrade our potential quality of life? Why is it not the city that responds to our needs?” Perhaps now the city can.

The first residents are moving into Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope, where they are discovering the delights of location and lifestyle that the new neighbourhood on east London’s Leamouth Peninsula has to offer. The development’s location, at the confluence of the River Lea and the River Thames, gives residents a rare experience of waterside living with some of the capital’s finest views, which are being enjoyed to the full by Andrew Ashby, who moved into a two-bedroom apartment with partner Tony in July. “We love being near the river as it means there is always something to look at and it provides a beautiful peaceful surrounding from our private balcony,” says Andrew.

Their 925 sq ft home on the seventh floor of the development’s Argo building looks south and west towards the River Thames, O2 and Canary Wharf. “At night when Canary Wharf is all lit up, it is comparable to a ‘mini Manhattan’,” Andrew continues. “It really does feel as though we’ve entered a holiday resort the moment we step into Goodluck Hope.”

The new development’s architecture lives up to its stunning waterside setting with its contemporary take on an industrial aesthetic, which was created by architect Allies and Morrison and inspired by dockside warehouses and maritime heritage. Black metal windows frame views from the apartments, while interiors boast a stripped back palette that makes its statement using texture and splashes of colour. “We like the fact that the whole development inside and out has an industrial vibe, and a lot of thought has gone into the design of everything, which has become even more apparent as the CGl’s of the marketing brochure have come to life,” says Andrew. “We particularly love the style of the windows, which add instant character to the whole development. The blue and brass kitchens and bathrooms, to me, make the development stand out from the crowd even further.”

Andrew, a house husband with a passion for property, divides his time between the new home at Goodluck Hope and another in Essex. The London property was bought not simply as an investment but for its opportunities to make the most of the urban lifestyle. Goodluck Hope’s own amenities for residents, housed in The 1595 Club, include a swimming pool, gym, Scandinavian-style steam room, private cinema, restaurant and co-working space, while a 24/7 concierge is also on hand to take deliveries and offer a helping hand. And the attractions of the capital are within easy reach, as Andrew and Tony are discovering. “At the moment, our weekends are taken up with day trips to Greenwich – looking round the market and regularly going for a walk to the Observatory, taking in our favourite view of London,” says Andrew. “We also love that we can hop on the Jubilee Line to Westfield Stratford in less than 20 minutes for shopping trips.

“While many others escape London to their country homes for the weekend, we find the opposite is preferable and love being in our London apartment, enjoying all the activities and entertainment the island has to offer.”

You can see more of Andrew’s move to Goodluck Hope on his Instagram: @essex_and_the_city

The deadline for the Win a Home in London competition is fast approaching, offering one lucky ticket holder the chance to win an apartment at Ballymore’s London City Island development and helping a sports club in Ireland realise a vision. Ballymore is supporting Gaelic football and hurling club Roscommon GAA in its quest to upgrade and extend its facilities, to help it nurture young talent and boost its potential to host big matches.

The competition draw will be taking place on 30 December, making the two bedroom apartment a dream Christmas gift. As the prize draw date nears, interest in the competition is mounting, with Roscommon GAA partnering with London based cultural hub The London Irish Centre and calling on celebrities from the world of television and music to promote the worthy cause.

Roscommon GAA’s home ground, Dr Hyde Park stadium, was opened in 1971 and now needs access, dressing rooms and other facilities upgraded. The club is also one of the few in the country not to have its own centre of excellence providing training facilities and match pitches. It has applied for planning permission to upgrade the stadium, and is finalising plans for the Dermot Earley Centre of Excellence, complete with pitches, meeting rooms and a gym. All it needs is the funds to bring these projects forward and that’s where Ballymore comes in.

The club’s commercial arm, Club Rossie, has a committee of keen volunteers, which works hard with local donors to raise funds for capital development and day-to-day essentials. “But with a population of only around 60,000 in the county, we have to look to other sources of help,” says David Leydon, a member of the Club Rossie team. Ballymore Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan, whose home town is Roscommon, has long provided much valued backing to the club. “Sean has been an incredible supporter of Roscommon for decades,” says Leydon. “Without him, the GAA would be in difficult circumstances.”

Last year a competition to win a house in Dublin, built by Ballymore, raised more than €943,000 for the club. “It transformed the finances of Roscommon GAA, and we are now in a stable financial position to do the development that is needed,” explains Leydon. “But we needed one more big fundraiser for capital development and Sean has stepped up to support us again.”

This competition – once again offering a home as its prize, but this time at London City Island – is expected to be just as well supported as the last. Sean Mulryan of Ballymore says, “I am very pleased to be able to support the competition, which will raise vital money for the redevelopment of Dr Hyde Park and the development of the Dermot Earley Centre of Excellence in Roscommon”.

The competition brings the GAA’s two projects within sight, and both are badly needed, says Leydon. “Our stadium needs the upgrading to make it fit for purpose for 2020 and beyond and we want to create the centre of excellence for young people in the county.” These projects will be important not only for the town of Roscommon but also for the broader county and its culture, he adds. “When the senior football team in particular is going well it lifts the mood of the whole county. You’ll see the primrose and blue colours on team flags in local gardens. The GAA is a fundamental part of Roscommon life.”

The Hallowe’en spirit is coming to London City Island and Goodluck Hope in east London this month with a host of ghostly goings on. A walking ghost tour, pumpkin patch pop-up and pumpkin carving workshops will be the highlights of the Halloween celebrations, all taking place on Saturday 31 October.

London City Island’s pumpkin patch, open between 9am-5pm, will both be an Insta-worthy photo-opportunity and a chance to grab yourself your very own pumpkin and carving kit. Photos of carved creations uploaded to Instagram – and tagged and following @ballymore, @ecoworld_uk, and #londoncityisland – stand to win the top treat of a London City Island bicycle.

Led by uber-creative food artist David Bradley, aka The Curious Confectioner, the series of online pumpkin carving classes will take place on Halloween day at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. All workshops are free to join and will be accessible via Zoom. We advise all children aged under 16 are accompanied by an adult.

Fearless fun seekers can enjoy a walking ghost tour with a difference at Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope development. Organised in collaboration with comedy walking tour guide, Bullshit London, the walk will combine ‘tongue-in-cheek’ horror with a look at some of the hidden gems of London’s own horrible history. The 20-minute tours will take place from 6pm to 10pm on Saturday 31 October. The tours have been designed to be spooky but COVID-safe, complying with government guidelines. Guests attending walking tours will be asked to remain socially distanced and face masks will be provided.

Tickets for the digital workshops can be booked here.

Tickets for Goodluck Hope’s ghost walking tour cost £7 per person and can be booked here.

20% of all ticket proceeds will be donated to local Poplar charity, Caritas Anchor House.

Ballymore’s Royal Wharf development in east London has been recognised as one of the UK and Ireland’s highest performing construction sites, with a 2020 Most Considerate Site Award in the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s (CCS) 2020 National Site Awards. The company won the coveted award in the largest sites class, for projects with a value of £50 million and over, and was also rewarded with a Gold Award for the site.

The accolades make Ballymore a top achiever in this year’s awards, which recognise the highest performing construction sites against the scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. The code monitors how considerate a site is being towards its local community, environment and workforce.

The award citation for the Royal Wharf site recognises Ballymore’s “strong and unwavering commitment to the Code of Considerate Practice”, highlighting some of the key measures taken to protect the environment and its workforce. These have included the adoption of a system using reclaimed heat from human by-products to pre-heat the cold water supply feeding into the water heater for handbasins. The project invested in the full-time expertise of a psychoanalyst, who specialised in mindset-evolving coaching and positive performance, and a workshop syllabus focusing on teambuilding, collaboration and personal development to provide operatives with support.

The all-round approach, the citation noted, “laid the foundations for a happy, caring and dedicated workforce, which set the standard for the rest of the industry”.

CCS chief executive Amanda Long said, “Achieving any level of CCS National Site Award requires dedication, effort and commitment to raising standards of considerate construction.”

Joe Cashman, Project Director, also picked up the highly prized 'Seal of Excellence' award.  Receiving a Seal of Excellence Award is a great achievement for any site manager, as it places them right at the top of their profession. 

London has gained a new landmark and a ‘world first’ with an achievement that Ballymore Chairman and Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan describes as, “the combined skills and innovation of experts all over the world.” The milestone is the much-anticipated arrival and lifting into position of the acrylic structure of the Sky Pool at Embassy Gardens, in Nine Elms. It is the largest freestanding acrylic pool structure in the world.

This extraordinary achievement is now being revealed with the latest phase of its construction. The swimming pool’s 14 metre long transparent acrylic structure has been lifted 10 storeys up into the air and installed in its steel frame, spanning Embassy Gardens’ Legacy Buildings. The location and transparency of this ‘floating’ pool will give Embassy Gardens’ residents the extraordinary experience of swimming and viewing the ground and the capital from the water while 35 metres up in the sky.

Architect HAL Architects, structural engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan and acrylic fabricator Reynolds Polymer Technology collaborated with the developer to design and construct the pool, drawing on the expertise that has gone into creating some of the world’s major aquariums. The structure, which is the largest single piece of loadbearing acrylic in the world, was created in a purpose built extension at Reynolds’ factory in Colorado, USA. It was put through extensive strength testing at the factory before being transported more than 1,000 miles by road to Galveston in Texas. From there, the structure made a three-week journey by sea to Antwerp, in Belgium, and then on to the Port of Tilbury in east London, before arriving at Nine Elms.

Once on site, the acrylic structure was lifted into place by a 750-tonne mobile crane, supported by a 50-tonne crane. The lifting was a precision process, as there was a tolerance of just 30 centimetres in installing the pool into its steel frame.

The side walls of the structure form deep beams capable of spanning the 14 metres between the two buildings while carrying the weight of the water. The central acrylic structure is supported by stainless steel ‘tubs’ at either end that allow for steps into the pool, giving an overall pool length of 25 metres.

The Sky Pool will open next spring, when residents will be able to swim between the two buildings and relax on the accompanying Sky Deck, with its a bar and restaurant.

English National Ballet (ENB), the iconic Glenn Howells-designed structure at the heart of London City Island, has been named as ‘Building of the Year’ by architecture magazine, Architects’ Journal.

The ‘Building of the Year’ accolade is a prestigious annual architectural prize; judges chose the Glenn Howells-designed ENB because of its “use of materials and detailing”, citing that it was “a fine example of how to design memorable, community conscious architecture.” The building beat off competition from a stellar shortlist including office development 1 Finsbury Avenue and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s stadium.

Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, accepted the award; in her virtual acceptance speech via YouTube she said “I can safely say the building has transformed the way we work.

“What I wanted for the company, was a space where we could create, where we could have freedom, where we could share our ambition and connect with the local community. A space where imaginations could be ignited and where everybody would be welcome. And we can safely say we did it.”

The accolade came in a week in which three other awards nominations were announced for Ballymore - this time at the New London Architecture (NLA) Awards. The Brentford Project has been shortlisted for meanwhile use award, which celebrates projects that embrace the city as a work in progress, enlivening spaces, places and high streets over a short-term period, while supporting long-term ambitions – something achieved via the Brentford Project events programme last year.

Other nominees include English National Ballet, which has been shortlisted for the culture award, while Royal Wharf Pier has been shortlisted for the transport award. The full list of winners will be announced in November.

In the meantime, you can see a full list of all of the awards Ballymore has won on our achievements page.

The final residential building has been launched at Embassy Gardens, paving the way for the high-profile Nine Elms project to continue its evolution as one of London’s bustling ‘villages’. The 160 ultra-stylish apartments in the final building, called The Modern, will mark the last stage in the delivery of the development’s 1,500 homes, but that will be far from the end of the Embassy Gardens story. Its long-awaited finale, the Sky Pool spanning two of the scheme’s Legacy Buildings, will go into position later this year.

The Modern promises a mix of one and two bedroom apartments as well as stunning signature penthouses. “The popularity of Embassy Gardens has been growing in line with Nine Elms’ remarkable transformation, and the addition of The Modern will create more homes in response to this demand, completing this leading mixed-use development’s residential journey,” says John Mulryan, Group Managing Director of Ballymore.

This final residential building enhances a neighbourhood that is already making its mark, says Roger Black, Creative Director at developer Ballymore. “What’s truly wonderful is the community of people who are already here. It has actually made a new piece of London. And you can see that in the lives that people live right in the middle of the capital.”

This new piece of London is home to such diverse names as chef Robin Gill’s Darby’s restaurant, District café, cocktail bar The Alchemist, beauty and lifestyle store Linnaean and cycle studio Static. Embassy Gardens’ business community occupies 130,000 square feet of retail space, while a new landmark office building, One Embassy Gardens, houses publisher Penguin Random House, bringing a cultural dimension to an area that already has the new US Embassy as a near neighbour. Beyond the development lie Nine Elms’ Linear Park, which extends from Vauxhall Bridge to Battersea Power Station, and the River Thames, two precious natural assets to be enjoyed by all.

Residents also have their own work and leisure amenities, which include co-working space and meeting room, private cinema, indoor swimming pool, plus two gyms, spa and steam rooms. And of course, there’s Embassy Gardens’ star attraction, the Sky Pool, with its Sky Deck and Orangery rooftop bar. The Sky Pool will be made from transparent acrylic and perched 35 metres above the ground, allowing swimmers a unique perspective on the capital. “When you’re looking through the water you will not see the structure. You will genuinely have the feeling of floating in air,” says Black.

Residents will be able to make the kind of easy transition from home to poolside that you would normally associate with a luxury spa or resort. “We benefit here from the extraordinary variety of outside space, whether that’s individual terraces, a bridge link, the Sky Deck or the roof terraces,” says Hal Currey, founder of HAL Architects, the architect behind the scheme. “You can be in your dressing gown on a Saturday morning and then come down through the building, cross a bridge and go to the pool and the gym. It’s part and parcel of the way we thought about these buildings gelling together.”

For Ballymore, however, it’s the way in which the community gels that will be Embassy Gardens’ legacy. “For us success is measured by the social outcome – what a development does for people,” adds Black. “The life you live is really what matters and that’s what sets Embassy Gardens apart from everything else in the marketplace.”

How can we live better in the city? It’s a question that’s being given some serious thought globally in the light of the increasing focus on such factors as health, climate change and technological advances.

“Conviviality, bonding and community are what everybody is saying they want in their new world. What we are chatting about is neighbourhood,” is the view of chef, food and sustainability campaigner and author Melissa Hemsley. Among the essential ingredients for this particular recipe are growing and cooking food at home and sharing food with friends and neighbours as, she says, “Food is the instant way to break the ice and take people from being strangers to becoming friends.”

Hemsley is among a number of leading figures from the arts, architecture, design and wellbeing sharing their perceptions on the future of city living in a new podcast, The Blueprint by Ballymore, which has been created to celebrate the launch of its Mill Harbour urban village development, on the doorstep of London’s Canary Wharf. London Design Festival chairman and creative industries campaigner Sir John Sorrell, English National Ballet artistic director and lead principal dancer Tamara Rojo and Lyndon Neri of Shanghai architect Neri&Hu are among other top names who can be heard in the six-part series.

With the series’ host, editor and author Jonathan Openshaw, they will be voicing their views on such subjects as the value of culture, the future of the office, the role of food and exercise in our lives and tomorrow’s smart and sustainable forms of transportation. Some of the themes pick up on ideas already being promoted in Mill Harbour’s urban village, which boasts a theatre, two schools, generous public realm - including a forest - and other elements intended to enhance health and wellbeing and sustainable lifestyles. The creative team behind the scheme, including architect Glenn Howells, will be outlining more of their thinking on the return of the urban village and its characteristics in the podcast series.

Alongside the podcasts, live events will showcase very different aspects of new urban village living. Interiors and lifestyle writer Becky Sunshine will chair three conversation sessions in September at Ballymore’s Design Cube, next to South Quay DLR, with high-street guru and broadcaster Mary Portas, UK CEO of Barry’s Bootcamp Sandy Macaskill and Cathrin Walczyk of Universal Design Studio, the architect and interior designer behind Mill Harbour’s amenities.

On 12 September Mill Harbour’s new forest will become The Great Wild Wharf, a day-long forest school where children can try their hand at soft archery, shelter-building and water purification. And there will be live music and good food on the waterfront in Music at Mill Harbour on 26 September, which will feature emerging London artists including Akin Soul and Ashaine White.

Subscribe now to the podcast series on all major streaming platforms.

Ballymore is welcoming nature into its west London regeneration scheme, The Brentford Project, with a one-day horticultural extravaganza ahead of the launch of a new collection of apartments in a green and pleasant setting.

For the event on 22 August, some of Brentford’s best blooms and finest foliage will be on display, as local florists showcase flowers, outdoor and indoor plants and even micro-herbs. Plus, green-fingered visitors will be able to make their own window box garden in a special workshop.

The new collection of apartments launching in September at The Brentford Project will overlook the gardens of the deconsecrated grade 2* listed St Lawrence’s Church, a local heritage treasure. Ballymore will restore the church to create a culinary and cultural hub for the community as part of its regeneration plans, while its gardens will be relandscaped to provide a green asset for residents and community alike.

The apartment building and church are only two elements of Ballymore’s large-scale regeneration project, which spans almost 12 acres between Brentford’s high street and the meeting point of two rivers: the Thames and the Brent. This is a significant placemaking project, which will provide 876 homes, revitalise the southern half of the town’s high street and reconnect the community with its waterfront, so that everyone can enjoy its public spaces, amenities and riverside. There will be a new Waterfront Square, new foodie destination at Workhouse Dock and new terraces and podium gardens from which to appreciate the river and its nature.

The latest release of apartments – designed by internationally renowned practice of McCullough Mulvin Architects - will make the most of the natural aspect, having floor to ceiling glazing with views of St Lawrence’s Gardens, water and west London greenery. An arrival garden will provide a tranquil retreat for residents with covered walkways, while an outdoor pool and woodland play space surrounded by mature trees will give residents the chance to get closer to nature. Such opportunities are precious in the capital, says Jenny Steen, Sales Director at Ballymore: “Not only are there some of the capital’s most beautiful parks nearby, but the extensive landscaping, public spaces and impressive variety of amenities throughout the neighbourhood will create a unique waterside destination.”

Visit thebrentfordproject.com/event/blooms-at-brentford/ for more information.

​Schoolchildren across the county of Roscommon in Ireland will plant 7,500 trees this autumn in an eco-initiative that will play a vital part in helping to protect local water sources, enhance biodiversity and capture carbon. The community initiative, which was launched this week to coincide with Ireland’s Rural Water Week, is also intended to inspire the next generation to think green.

Concerns at the damaging impacts of pesticides on water sources and biodiversity lie behind the initiative, which has been developed by the group water scheme sector with the support of Roscommon County Council and developer Ballymore. This autumn national schools will be receiving information explaining how to plant a tree and go pesticide free. Every schoolchild will receive a tree, as well as a certificate confirming the part they have played by planting it.

The initiative demonstrates how everyone can do their bit to help the environment and has the potential to enhance Roscommon, a county that already boasts such natural assets as the historic Mote Park and Lough Ree.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ballymore Group, said, “We take sustainability and biodiversity seriously on all our projects and I’m thrilled to be a part of this. It’s a fantastic idea that will make a big impact on the education of children and Roscommon. Initiatives like this spark young people’s curiosity and help to get them involved in safeguarding our planet’s future.”

Acrobatics, drama and a sing-along musical with numbers from Katy Perry and Britney Spears are among the top attractions at this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival. The festival will mark the emergence of many Dublin theatres from lockdown in style with 107 performances of 23 events in 13 venues, including 21 world premieres and two Dublin premieres. The city’s eclectic arts showcase will be taking place over 16 days and nights, from September 5-20, with the help of core funding from Arts Council of Ireland and Dublin City Council and Ballymore as principal patron.

The Dublin Fringe Festival 2020: Pilot Light Edition has a new format to enable it to bring back performances safely with social distancing in place. That will include tailor-made performances at venues like Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and The Chapel Royal, with the latter hosting the world premiere of choreography and music project, Before You Say Anything. Festival events will also take place in outdoor venues, such as Dublin Castle Courtyard, and there will be opportunities to enjoy the festival at home, online and via Dublin Digital Radio (ddr).

The packed festival programme has seven themes, ranging from Come Out to Play, which invites audiences to make art in the fresh air, to Utopia or Bust, which reimagines the world with manifestos for a new era that will be posted on the streets of Dublin and Paris. As ever, the programme’s content is rich, varied and innovative with 100 Miniature Meadows, a new work by Luke Casserly and Shanna May Breen, inviting audiences to take part in a planting project where they receive instructions by post and a downloadable soundscape to listen to. Tickets for these and other events featuring names such as playwright and performer Eva O’Connor, Belfast drag queen Rosa Tralee and Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan are now on sale at www.fringefest.com.

Above all, this year’s festival demonstrates the importance of the arts to people’s lives, as Festival Director Ruth McGowan explains.“This is an opportunity for experimental performance to take the lead, and for voices that defy the mainstream to light the way forward in dark times. Dublin Fringe are responding to the world around us with a new festival format, but our programme remains devoted to artistic risk, active spectatorship and shared moments in time.”

The festival also deserves praise for their achievement and imagination in creating this year’s event, says Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Ballymore. “Their resolve to provide a creative proposition in such a challenging environment is very welcome in an incredibly difficult year for the arts. I am delighted this year’s festival is going ahead, providing a much-needed platform for emerging artists to showcase their unique talents”.

Ballymore has acquired the Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Edgware, north London, and is gearing up to work with the council on plans to regenerate the 13-acre site. The developer acquired the freehold interest in the 190,000 sq ft centre from Aberdeen Standard Investments, with property consultant Knight Frank acting on the latter’s behalf.

The site occupies a significant town centre location, directly next to Edgware Underground Station. Ballymore has already had a dialogue with the London Borough of Barnet to understand its ambitions for the site and the wider area and will now work with the council and the local community to bring forward a proposal that can enhance the town centre and community into the future.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive at Ballymore, said: “Ballymore has a great deal of experience in town-centre communities and over the many years we have been in business we have learnt a lot of lessons. How these places look to evolve in the coming years will be key to their success, as the essential nature of high-street retail changes so rapidly. Connected by the Northern Line to central London, this is a fantastic area with incredible potential for a mixed-use development with new homes, shops and businesses. We’re looking forward to collaborating closely with the local community and the council to evolve this town centre into a place that is fit for the future and ready to deliver what our communities want and need on their doorstep.”

Drive-in cinemas are making a comeback and the hottest ticket this summer is Duke’s Drive-In Cinema at Ballymore’s west London development, The Brentford Project. Classic and supercar hub Duke of London will be screening a string of appropriately automotive-themed blockbusters including The Italian Job, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bullitt and Layer Cake, starting on July 16.

The drive-in is initially exclusively for classic and supercars, but those who don’t yet have a sufficiently stylish automobile can still enjoy the complete drive-in experience. Duke of London is also offering classic cars to hire for screenings via partner RNG Classics, including a Porsche 928, Lamborghini Murcielago, Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 308 GTSi and MGB GT.

Cinema-goers will be able to enjoy a vintage American ‘carhop’ dining service, complete with rollerskating waiters and waitresses. On the takeaway menu will be food from Santa Maria Pizzeria, draft beer from The Brewery Tap and cocktails by Vault Vermouth. Cars from famous films will be on display at screenings and there might even be a celebrity face or two in attendance. The cinema has been created with health and safety in mind, incorporating measures such as scanning of tickets through closed car windows, contactless food and drinks delivery and socially-distanced toilet queuing.

Duke of London Director of Events, Georgia Peck, said of the screenings: “We really hope to create an iconic and intimate series of drive-in movies - in true quirky, vintage Duke of London-style - that goes on to become a permanent fixture in our events calendar, and is loved by our clients and locals alike.”

Tickets are selling fast, with the launch screening of Layer Cake on 16 July already sold out. Ticket prices start at £60 a car and can be bought from dukeoflondon.co.uk.

Experiences of pandemic and lockdown are influencing homebuyer sentiment as the property market returns, prompting expatriates to set their sights on securing a base back home closer to family. A survey by property consultant Knight Frank’s prime team has identified a global trend for expats to look to buy in their homeland. “Sixty-four per cent of Knight Frank offices polled are reporting the lockdown had influenced expats’ decision to buy a property in their home country, which has led to a significant uptick in residential enquiries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Ray Palmer-Smith, Director of New Homes for Ireland at Knight Frank. The survey found most are seeking a 50/50 home, which provides a base for now and could at some point in the future become a permanent home. 

Palmer-Smith anticipates a strong volume of viewings once travel restrictions are eased. “Enquiries for Dublin have been particularly strong through our offices in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Singapore, with a combination of expats returning home or planning for a future return, buy-to-let investors and families emigrating or where children may be studying in Ireland.”

Both Ireland and the UK are now seeing sales centres and showhomes open their doors again, with new safety protocols in place to safeguard staff and buyers. “So far this has been one of the busiest weeks of the year for new homes reservations and we expect that to continue in the following weeks, as more people become comfortable with viewing again,” says Palmer-Smith. During lockdown itself Knight Frank’s Dublin team successfully agreed a number of new homes sales to expats, conducting virtual viewings via Zoom using digital brochures, videos and 3D tools. 

These buyers are returning to the market with fresh priorities. “The number one driving factor for expats choosing to purchase a property back home is to be close to family members and/or family support network, with work and healthcare coming in second and third,” says Palmer-Smith. “Following lockdown, globally we are seeing a common trend towards health and wellness as major factors for everyone, particularly expats in their selection of a home.” He highlights property search priorities such as a location close to open spaces, beaches, shopping and general amenities, as well as the traditional driving factors of schools and travel time to major work centres. Lockdown has had its impact on that list, he explains, “With many having experienced lockdown whilst living in major metropolises with young families, the importance of quality surroundings within walking distance has never been more necessary.” 

New homes have always had appeal for expat buyers. “And never more so than now,” continues Palmer-Smith. “Having often previously lived in modern buildings in other cities, the expectation of standard of accommodation, energy rating and reduction of need for maintenance are often driving factors. When property purchases are being conducted from their current country of residence, the ease and convenience of buying a new home is generally considered much more straightforward, often eliminating any bidding process, no onward chain and sometimes facilitating a delayed completion, depending on the build schedule of the development.”

At Naas, in County Kildare in Ireland, Ballymore’s Bellingsfield and Longstone developments have been attracting significant levels of interest from expat buyers. Both developments have showhomes open for viewing by appointment and safeguarding measures in place, including sanitising of showhomes after viewings, social distancing and provision of hand sanitiser. Similar safeguarding measures are in place at Ballymore’s UK showhomes, and for all locations showhome tours can be complemented by digital tools, allowing viewers to compare housetypes and plot locations and explore other features and information. 

The Bellingsfield and Longstone developments have many of the attributes that are on expats’ wishlists. Their three and four bedroom houses have light, spacious terraced, semi-detached and detached designs. Importantly, these collections of family houses also have quality surroundings, each development having its own landscaped green space and being close to some of Kildare’s highly regarded schools and sports clubs, including Craddockstown Golf Club. 

As we emerge from lockdown, cities are having to establish a new normal to allow offices, schools, shops and other services to continue to operate. That has led to calls to not only incorporate basic social distancing measures but to go further and ‘build back better’, creating more sustainable and better places to work, live or visit.

This could be a priority for city office buildings, where large open-plan spaces and hot desking have been the norm. During lockdown, businesses replacing office operations with working from home gained an understanding of both the pluses and the minuses of the latter. Frequent distractions, especially from small children, poor WiFi signals, physical isolation and lack of defined space for a desk are just some of the downsides that have already become apparent. Such factors are likely to mean businesses remain office-based, where they will look to physical distancing measures to help them work as effectively and safely as possible.

Ballymore’s upcoming EG:HQ building, beside the River Thames in London’s rapidly emerging Nine Elms district, points to a different future for the office building. Far in advance of the pandemic, people-centred and sustainable approaches were set at the heart of the design of this 217,000 sq ft building.

Joe Morris, founder of Morris + Company, EG:HQ’s architect, says shortcomings in the conventional office were apparent long ago. “There was already a perception that the 9-to-5 is not creative or productive for workers. There is a challenge in how we tackle issues around the balance of work and life, productivity and creativity.”

The pandemic has focused attention, with that potential to build back better. “A crisis makes you appreciate life - you realise how important the sunlight is, for example,” he says, adding, “The question is: how can the office of the future tap into that?”

EG:HQ provides an answer to that, its design advocating what Morris calls an ‘office+’ approach. “We thought about how to bring value with amenity, landscape, views and natural light and how to reduce the corporate security barrier to make the entrance experience meaningful and give a more public-centric and creative environment. As a step forward, EG:HQ has a lot going for it.”

This value is evident in numerous aspects of the building’s design. Instead of a single rooftop terrace, the design incorporates seven terraces, both public and private, over numerous floors. In all, the building has more than 18,000 sq ft of terracing, providing views of and ready access to outdoor space and landscaping.

Windows run horizontally, rather than vertically, which promotes wellbeing, explains Morris. “Wellbeing can be something as simple as being able to look away from a computer screen, out of a window and take in a long view. EG:HQ was designed to promote that. The horizontal windows give you long views across rooftops and are enhanced by landscape.”

The building’s users were prioritised right from the start of the project. “Wellbeing was part of Ballymore’s initial brief to us,” says Morris. Some of EG:HQ’s attributes have become even more relevant to wellbeing, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The riverside location can allow for a pleasant walk, jog or cycle to work, and the building has generous cycle storage. Two separate lift cores offer the option of managed circulation, limited density in the lift cars or the alternative of stair access to floors. The building also has separate toilets in each of the two circulation cores, again offering choice and separation.

Flexibility of space could be key in successfully accommodating workers in offices in the future, believes Michael Hughes, project director for EG:HQ at Ballymore. “Offices will need to offer better facilities and be more flexible to workers if they are to attract talent. High density occupation, hot desking, single core access and so on, can cause unwelcome stress to employees.”

Hughes expects to see more employers focusing on new and better ways of working. “The experience offered by the office will change to benefit the worker, from the touch free journey from the front door to the desk and the amenities offered to those employees spurning public transport in exchange for walking, running and cycling to work.” Such factors could transform the workspace, which, in spite of recent reports predicting its demise, will endure, says Hughes. “Companies will still need a base and will still demand the collaboration of the office-based community.”

From living room workouts to virtual quiz nights, we’ve all had to get creative to stay healthy and connected. However, there’s only so many online yoga classes we can attend, or loaves of banana bread we can bake. Sometimes, trying to be creative at home can feel uninspiring. That’s why Ballymore has partnered with industry-leading creatives to provide two at-home experiences that will help you flex your creative muscles: the Penguin Live x Embassy Gardens virtual book ventures, and the Botanical Boys x Wardian London masterclass series.

Nine Elms regeneration project, Embassy Gardens, has teamed up with Penguin Live to offer a series of virtual book ventures. The partnership is celebrating world-leading publisher Penguin Random House’s relocation to One Embassy Gardens with events including a virtual book club and a short story competition especially for Embassy Gardens residents.

The Embassy Gardens Penguin Live Virtual Book Club offers impressive discounts on e- and audio books, and access to a fortnightly online book club, chaired by journalist and interviewer Hannah MacInnes. The club starts on 25 May, with all members receiving an audio or eBook at a discounted rate and having two weeks to read, before participating in a live discussion.

Residents also have the opportunity to take part in an exclusive short story competition. Submissions will be judged by representatives from Penguin Live. The most creative entries will win £500 worth of books and have their winning story showcased through Embassy Gardens’ marketing channels. Follow @embassygardens or look up Penguin Live x Embassy Gardens for more information.

If you’re more interested in plants than prose, then Botanical Boys, the duo on a mission to connect people with nature, and the developers behind Wardian London have the perfect past time for you. They have come together to bring you a free series of virtual terrarium masterclasses, where you can learn how to look after your favourite plants, connect with nature, find your inner zen, and bring the green beauty of nature into your living room.

These ‘at home’ 15-minute masterclasses are led by Botanical Boys’ co-founder Darren Henderson, via Zoom. Topics being explored include: the history of the Wardian Case (one of the first examples of a terrarium and the inspiration behind Wardian London), benefits of indoor plants, indoor plant styling, and plant care top tips.

Each demonstration will be on Instagram, meaning you can easily share tips with your friends, or save your favourite posts to look back over.

To register for your complimentary place on a live masterclass, and find out how to purchase a terrarium kit, sign up on the Wardian website or for updates, visit @Ballymore in Instagram.

Ballymore is set to grow its neighbourhood at Royal Canal Park, in Dublin 15, after winning planning consent for the next phase of development. This fourth and final phase, which is being developed on the site of the former Ormond Printworks, will provide 435 one and two bedroom apartments, as well as amenities including a healthcare centre, pharmacy, gym and public plazas. The development will also feature office space, 255 car parking spaces, and nearly 950 bicycle parking spaces.

This phase will complete the transformation of this canalside area into the Royal Canal Park neighbourhood. Ballymore’s regeneration has laid the foundations for a sustainable community, which already boasts homes, an Aldi supermarket and a range of amenities.

Sean Mulryan, Founder & Group CEO of Ballymore, said of An Bord Pleanála’s consent: “I welcome An Bord Pleanála’s decision to approve the next phase of our Royal Canal Park development. Since 2004 when our first residents arrived, we have created a vibrant new community in Ashtown, which already boasts over 1,200 homes, cafes, gyms, a community centre, and a canal basin canoe polo club. At Ballymore, we are committed to true integration into the communities within which we build. We’ll ensure this latest phase is responsibly integrated into the existing local community.”

Dantae Johnson, a producer, songwriter, and founder of Three Bears Entertainment and The Woods Studio on London City Island has been busy. “We’ve had all of our artists affected by the COVID-19 lockdown,” he says. “Many were in the middle of projects at the studio on City Island that have suddenly stalled. And we need to support them through lockdown. We’ve had to find new ways to generate revenues - take everything online. Live gigs are about 70% of all artists’ income. It’s also where many artists attract new fans, so the fact that no artist has that shoulder to lean on any more is very troubling.”

The Woods Studio’s response, in collaboration with Ballymore, was to create a podcast series, the City Island Homecast, where creative artists can discuss how they are adapting to life in lockdown.

The series will launch on Thursday 14 May. It will consist of six episodes, each one between 40 and 50 minutes long, with a new episode released every week. Episodes will feature some of the biggest names in UK music and content creation: Dalton Harris (2018 X Factor winner), Nile Wilson (British Olympian and YouTuber), Caggie Dunlop (reality TV star and influencer), Lily Mercer (DJ, founder and editor of Viper magazine), Donel (The Voice UK contestant and rising UK musician), and Angels & Bandits (up-and-coming UK band). Johnson will host each episode with award-winning, Oscar shortlisted, London-based music producer, Pete Boxsta Martin.

“Everyone we are working with on this series has a huge online following,” explains Johnson. “And right now, with everything that is going on, people want to know how their favourite artists and influencers are coping through lockdown. So, we thought, why not have a podcast, which can condense - in their own words - the experiences of these creative artists at home during lockdown?”

“Mental health will be a big topic,” Johnson says. “Many of our guests are well-versed in the area of mental health. Nile Wilson has struggled with depression because of how much he needs to be on top of his game as an Olympic gymnast, and because of setbacks through injuries. Dalton Harris has suffered from crippling anxiety, so he’s going to be talking about that and everything in-between.”

The idea of what home means to creative artists in a post-COVID-19 world was also of great interest to Johnson’s team at The Woods when developing the series.

“We collaborate a lot with Ballymore, so we wanted the central theme of the series to be home, and ask: what does home mean to us? It seems like the right time to engage with our communities through culture and music.” Despite the many devastating outcomes of the COVID-19 virus, The Woods are aiming for optimism with the City Island Homecast.

As part of the City Island Homecast series, Ballymore and The Woods will launch a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for charity. Each episode of the series will aim to raise funds and awareness for a charity nominated by that week’s guest. There will also be special guests featured on each episode, such as The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, whose charity Street Child (nominated by Dalton Harris) helps to provide education to more than 125 million disadvantaged children worldwide.

You can listen to the City Island Homecast on most major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts/Spotify/Google Podcasts, or you can find it on Acast.

Over a century after Brown and Alcott become the first aviators to fly non-stop across the Atlantic, a replica bronze statue of the two famous pilots has been unveiled at Clifden Town Square, Co. Galway. Perhaps it was the prospect of a refreshing pint of Guinness that brought the pilots to Clifden, Ballymore Group Chief Executive Sean Mulryan, mused at the statue’s unveiling.

“I don’t agree with all of the history and I’m going to tell you why. They (Alcock and Brown) knew exactly where they were going.. they had read up about the craic in Clifden with the music and dance. And the first thing they said when they got off the plane - two pints of Guinness!”

The creation of a permanent statue in Clifden follows Ireland’s ‘Alcock and Brown 100 Festival 2019’ celebrations which marked the centenary anniversary of the flight last year. John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the flight from St Johns in Newfoundland in a modified Vickers Vimy biplane. They took off in the early afternoon of 14 June 1919 from St John’s in Newfoundland. They braved cloud, snow, ice and a near-fatal stall over the Atlantic before finally landing at the Marconi Station at Clifden, County Galway, 16 hours and 28 minutes after takeoff.

The Daily Mail had offered £10,000, or £1million in today’s money, to the first person to fly the Atlantic non-stop. Within days, they collected their reward from Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War, and were knighted by King George V.

The statue, which has been crafted by Bronze Art Ireland, is an exact replica of a monument erected at London’s Heathrow Airport in the 1950s, which was brought to Ireland temporarily for the festival. The original was commissioned by the British government and created by the notable sculptor William McMillan. When the festival ended, the idea of replicating the original and giving it a permanent home in the square at Clifden took hold, and Sean Mulryan and his wife Bernardine provided funding support to help realise the project. Sean remarked:

“A museum is the next target with a replica of the plane and a history of all the great stories in the world about aviation and I think that would be a great thing for tourism in Clifden. So if we get a museum done, with a little help from our friends, it will be a huge benefit to Clifden, the community, jobs and tourism. We’re going to try make this happen.”

Robin Barnett, the British Ambassador to Ireland, formally unveiled the statue this month (March), assisted by Sean and Bernardine Mulryan. “The remarkable flight by Alcock and Brown must be remembered and commemorated, especially here in Clifden. Bernardine and myself are delighted to have played our part in making this happen and we have no doubt it will add to the tourist attraction of this beautiful area.”

Travel restrictions may make it impossible to tour show homes and emerging developments in person at the moment, but in today’s digitally connected world there are still ways of getting the best views of some of London’s most desirable new homes and neighbourhoods. Developer Ballymore has released a series of video tours showcasing four of its landmark schemes in the capital. Its creative director, Roger Black, gives his own personal tour of the London City Island development, on the Leamouth Peninsula, Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms and The Brentford Project, in west London. You can also enjoy a preview of Wardian London, the lusciously-landscaped high-rise development in Canary Wharf, which is set for completion later this year.

Looking at development websites, videos and virtual tours is a different experience to standing in a show apartment for real, but Eloise Solari, associate regional sales director at Ballymore, has a hot tip to help homeseekers get the best out of the process. “Speak to the sales team about what you’re looking for. They are there to make sure you find the right home for you,” she stresses.

Now is the time when a sales advisor can really prove their worth, giving the essential details about an apartment, its development and the broader location, says Solari. “We’re used to looking at plans on a daily basis, so can explain a scheme to potential purchasers and make sure they have all the information they need to reach their decision.” Ballymore’s sales teams are continuing to work remotely during usual office hours, but now rely on software tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to maintain face-to-face contact with would-be customers.

The software’s screen sharing capabilities allow advisor and customer to talk through plans in the same way as they would in the marketing suite. In fact, there can be benefits to meeting online, says Solari. “People can find it easier to focus on the conversation, as there are often fewer distractions. It is really a one-to-one opportunity to get answers and we are finding people are asking more questions.” She says that video meetings may last as long as an hour, as options are explored in depth.

This new way of working has meant rapid changes behind the scenes for Ballymore’s sales teams, particularly those based in its marketing suites. Daily briefing and debriefing video calls, at the beginning and end of the day, are helping team members to stay connected, and some information has been simplified to help make it more easily accessible, particularly for marketing overseas. Good working practices are being shared, says Solari, to help constantly improve customer service.

Prior to the coronavirus crisis Solari, who looks after London City Island and Wardian, says sales were brisk. “We’d had a really good start to the year with sales up on the previous year. That has helped us more recently and given us a positive push for 2020,” she explains. Ballymore is planning for the future, with its Mill Harbour scheme, in Canary Wharf, gearing up for an anticipated launch later this year. “It will be a really exciting development that will really stand out,” says Solari. Without giving away too many of the details ahead of the launch, she hints, “It will have amenity offerings that you don’t often see in London to create community and enrich your life.” As the world adjusts to the challenges of tackling coronavirus, Solari says homeseekers are now optimistically looking to life beyond lockdown: “People are gathering information and doing their research while they have time. They are looking to their future”.

You can watch all the latest Ballymore videos on our YouTube page. 

Creative and artisan businesses in new mixed use developments are looking to ways to support their communities as essential restrictions on movement continue through the coronavirus crisis. Across developer Ballymore’s London neighbourhoods small businesses are coming up with ways of helping residents and broader communities to continue to enjoy coffee, culture, fine food and fitness activity at home, while keeping their own businesses on track. And one business at its London City Island development, in Leamouth, has joined forces with the developer to offer a special Gift Box of grocery essentials free to NHS worker residents.

The Espresso Room Pantry at London City Island is a coffee shop that is now supplying groceries so that it can remain at the heart of its community. The pantry and Ballymore are collaborating to provide the Gift Box, which typically includes such staples as bread, vegetables and fruit, as well as a sweet treat. The box is being made available to NHS staff living at any Ballymore development free of charge, on email request – with a copy of NHS ID – to the pantry. Other residents at the development can buy the box from the pantry and this, as well as other groceries and a selection of healthy menu dishes, can all be delivered to the home to help those self isolating.

Residents of London City Island taking their daily outdoor exercise have a chance to see the latest art exhibition in the windows of the arebyte Gallery. But everyone can appreciate Best Effort Network, the first solo presentation in the capital by 1990s net art pioneer Olia Lialina, via arebyte on screen (AOS), the gallery’s digital channel. “Olia is one of the best known artists working online, using a browser as a canvas,” says Nimrod Vardi, founder and creative director of arebyte.

AOS launched just over a year ago, being a natural medium for an arts organisation whose mission is to support artists working in digital and emerging artforms. “It is the culmination of previous platforms, and an extension of our gallery,” explains Vardi. The platform’s traffic has soared as people look online for cultural experiences. “This is a great archive of the current state of digital art, and we have additional content, such as talks and panel discussions,” Rebecca Edwards, curator at arbyte Gallery says of AOS. As creative workers struggle to find outlets for their work, arebyte is continuing to provide an important platform, with upcoming activities including Powerplay, a virtual reality exhibition featuring works by digital artists in Africa. “We’re working to promote and curate good content,” adds Vardi.

At Embassy Gardens, in Nine Elms, cycling studio 'static' had been building up classes and events before the coronavirus outbreak. “We had special ride sessions on Christmas Day morning and New Year’s Eve and on our last day set up an outdoor class in the square,” says Ollie Chipp, managing director of static. “We’ve had a phenomenal response and built an incredible community for both members and pay as you go visitors of all ages and abilities.”

When the studio had to close its doors, it did some fast thinking and came up with an alternative to the conventional response of freezing memberships, which was to offer its Keiser M3i - Lite bikes on loan to members living at Embassy Gardens. The static team was soon delivering bikes to homes, where residents can keep on riding, motivated by a playlist created by static’s instructors. “It helps members stay in touch and it helps us as a start-up. We’re supporting the people who have supported us,” says Chipp. He is already looking ahead to the time when classes can resume. What’s planned for the relaunch? “A big party,” he says.

Embassy Gardens’ much loved coffee shop District is also looking to the future. Owner Chelsea Finch says, “We will be working hard to re-open with a bang and, in the meantime, keep customers updated with any exciting projects and how to get their hands on District coffee beans for all their home brewing pleasure on our Instagram, @districtcoffeeldn”.

Some stores here are continuing with care to serve the community. Top Embassy Gardens restaurant Darby’s has temporarily become a community store, open from 10am to 4pm. The store is offering high quality meats, deli delights, beer and wine, and gourmet meals for two, including its Dexter beef pie.

Neighbouring health, beauty and lifestyle store Linnaean may not be able to welcome visitors to its stores but its hair and beauty expertise is still on hand, through online consultations with skin therapists and hair stylists. Its skin therapists can carry out online assessments and advise on products, which can still be bought from Linnaean, thanks to its delivery service. The store’s hair stylists can advise on how to carry out colour treatments in the home. Both are being well received by customers, who can stay in touch with the store via its Instagram page, @linnaeanliving, and website.

The store is also collaborating with local personal trainer, Kasia Romanowicz, to offer the first six people to purchase a £250 gift card a free 30 minute training session. It’s just one example of how local businesses are coming together to help one another and their customers. “As an independent business we are extremely grateful for everyone’s support in this difficult time,” says Elena Tayleur, founder of Linnaean.

From all of us at Ballymore, our communities are ultimately made by the people who live in them and the small businesses that support them in so many ways. We thank our businesses for playing their part in helping to keep communities strong. We also thank the health services in the UK and in Ireland for all they are doing for us.

Dockland warehouses, heavy industry, grime and decay are now largely swept away; in their place have come high rise apartment blocks, new transport links and the legacy of the 2012 Olympics. This is the story of east London’s transformation and it has been such a success that Newham was recently named the local authority area with the highest rise in home prices in the whole of the UK this century, according to the Halifax.

The large-scale regeneration has relied on the long term vision and investment of pioneering developers, working in collaboration with an array of public and private sector partners. Ballymore arrived in east London with schemes in the Isle of Dogs and Spitalfields in the 1990s, and has remained in the area ever since, innovating in construction, design and placemaking to create some of the area’s tallest and most significant buildings and some of its most exciting new neighbourhoods. In the process, it has shaped not only communities in east London, but broader regeneration thinking and practice in the UK. This look at Ballymore’s developments over the decades shares a few of its lessons and innovations.

The 1990s: Valuing heritage, character and culture

As the UK emerged from the 1991 recession, property hot spots intensified across the east of the capital and the Isle of Dogs began to shake off its industrial past. Ballymore’s debut schemes on the Isle of Dogs were Dundee Wharf and Millennium Harbour, completed in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Both designs – by CZWG - combined architectural quality with a rare respect for heritage and history in an area that was rapidly evolving. The 128-home Dundee Wharf made the most of its prominent location at the bend of the Thames at Limehouse Reach, and has become a landmark for river commuters with its distinctive spiked balcony towers. The larger Millennium Harbour, which comprises five buildings of apartments, is just as recognisable, for its copper-clad cantilevered penthouses.

Away from the Isle of Dogs itself, Ballymore was also developing a scheme that honed its mixed use skills. It refurbished the Old Spitalfields Market halls, the former home of the historic fruit and vegetable wholesale market. The developer worked with Jestico + Whiles Architects and Julian Harrap Architects to restore and enhance the rich heritage of the Victorian halls.

By creating a welcoming space for local businesses in arts, crafts and artisan foods, it curated a distinctive place that has bucked the retail downturn and is now open to visitors seven days a week. This was the shape of things to come for a developer that now routinely looks beyond buildings to embed local character and culture in placemaking, and the mix of local traders, small producers and street foods that has proved successful at Old Spitalfields Market is being emulated in cities across the UK.

The 2000s: Recognising that one size doesn’t fit all

The new millennium brought a new building for east London, in The Dome on Greenwich Peninsula, since renamed the O2 Arena and now one of the world’s busiest music venues. At the same time, Ballymore was looking beyond the standard apartment product being developed across the capital and innovating with different ways of living, which in some ways anticipated today’s consumer focus on wellbeing.

In Stoke Newington, it joined forces again with CZWG to deliver Red Square, a scheme of 114 live/work homes. The development’s semi-industrial aesthetic, with external decks leading to upper level duplex homes, was intended to limit the social isolation of living and working at home and promote neighbourliness.

By 2007, it was completing a very different scheme, New Providence Wharf, which included the first residential high-rise tower to be built in the capital for around three decades. The curving forms of the scheme’s four buildings, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, provided space for a peaceful riverside park, while also echoing the curves of the O2, which was just across the Thames. The scheme combined more than 1,500 apartments with a hotel, residents having the benefit of access to the hotel’s health spa and gym. New Providence Wharf’s success marked the return of high rise living.

The 2010s: It’s about living, not square footage

The company followed up New Providence Wharf by building even higher. Its Pan Peninsula development comprised two towers rising to 40 and 50 storeys, the latter being the tallest in Europe at the time of delivery.

The scheme – again designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill - brought Manhattan style to London in its architecture and its living experiences. A boutique cinema, and health and fitness club with gym, studio and pool were among the resident amenities. Residents also had their own cocktail bar and restaurant on the 48th floor, as well as a Sky Lounge for relaxation or business meetings. Such amenities met residents’ growing appetite for community and experiences, which would in time become so important to the private rented market.

Into the 2020s: Creating places with potential

While every development is a distinctive place and community requiring its own design and delivery, the lessons of the past are feeding into current Ballymore schemes like Royal Wharf, London City Island, Goodluck Hope and Wardian London.

As projects and understanding have evolved, the developer’s focus on placeshaping has grown, so that today its schemes are almost as well known for their cultural and community focus as they are for their new apartments. Think of London City Island, which is home to the English National Ballet’s dazzling new centre, or the locally-prized neighbourhood resource of Royal Wharf Community Dock.

As a result, such areas are not only experiencing increased property prices; they are also receiving a boost to their social, economic and cultural potential and that’s the kind of regeneration that could have a lasting impact on people and places.

Josephine Smit is a freelance journalist based in London. Her work is published in Housing Today, RIBA Journal and other business media.

Ballymore is limiting single-use plastic on its construction sites with an action plan that is saving 8,000 plastic cups a year alone. It rolled out measures to discourage staff and partners from using plastic cups and bottles last year and is now following that up with trials of a recycling initiative.

The construction industry is the second largest consumer of plastics in the UK, relying on the material for everything from pipes to protective coverings, as well as the packaging that safeguards many products on their way to site. The industry is estimated to produce three times more packaging waste than all UK households combined.

Plastics for packaging and many other items are used only briefly before being discarded, often ultimately ending up in landfill sites or in the world’s oceans. The United Nations Environment Programme says that only 9% of the 9 billion tonnes of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled.

That clearly has to change, and Ballymore is among those working to drive the change through its action plan, which provides alternatives to help everyone make the switch to more sustainable behaviours. Its measures have included banning single-use plastic cups across its construction sites, and replacing them with more sustainable options. The sale of single-use plastic bottles has also been banned in site canteens; instead, reusable non-plastic bottles are provided to Ballymore staff and additional water dispensers have been installed so there is no need to buy water in plastic bottles. To ensure good practice is extended along the supply chain, trade contractors now have to provide their own teams with reusable bottles too.

This year, the focus is shifting to the plastic sheeting temporarily used to protect new floors, walls and other surfaces from damage during construction. Ballymore is working with manufacturer Proplex in a trial that could see its protective sheets separated from other site waste and collected by the supplier for recycling. If the plastic sheeting across all Ballymore sites were recycled in this way, it could divert at least 4.5 tonnes of polypropylene waste a year from disposal.

Alongside this, Ballymore is considering or implementing many other measures to limit waste and aid the environment, from banning plastic covers for internal reports to ruling out plastic bags, food boxes and cutlery in site canteens. A learning programme is also helping to get the sustainability message out to staff and partners.

“We are working to create a positive culture towards waste reduction and environmental management,” said Mark Gordon, group health and safety director with Ballymore. “There are many ways in which we can play our part through our everyday actions and every one of us can make a difference.”

英國電信巨頭BT（British Telecom）已確認租用伯明翰雪山大樓三號（Three Snowhill）的三分之二的空間，這是有史以​​來在倫敦以外最大的城市中心商業項目。該協議的達成時間與雪山三號的竣工時間同步，這一成功簽約標誌著整個雪山重建項目已取得了圓滿成功。

雪山大樓項目佔地四英畝，靠近Snow Hill火車站，該項目改變了伯明翰Colmore商業區的城市佈局。這個項目跨越在建造三棟辦公大樓，60萬平方英尺的最先進的辦公空間的開發，該項目由Sidell Architects建築師事務所總體規劃，他們將開發項目打造成為一個頂級的商業區，並在戰略上把伯明翰Colmore商業區與北部槍支與珠寶製作區緊密聯繫在一起，凸顯了这一地区在伯明翰经济方面的重要性。

雪山一號和二號分別為13層和14層高，已於2013年竣工並使用，均已全部出租。入駐商戶包括巴克萊銀行，畢馬威計師事務所（KPMG）和英國高鐵二期有限公司（HS2）。投資方M＆G房地產公司收購了雪山二號，與巴利摩（Ballymore）共同擔任項目經理，並為雪山三號提供了資金。

這個耗資2億英鎊的最後階段是建造雪山三號，高達17層，提供了42萬平方英尺的A級辦公空間。該建築的設計按BREEAM評估標準被評為“極佳設計”。雪山三號三面為玻璃環繞，內部有貫通整體建築的中央天井。目前， BT已簽訂了為期20年的租約，最終將為4,000名BT員工提供辦公空間。 BT物業和設施服務總經理Graeme Paton表示：“我們在伯明翰的新辦公樓將我們的員工們凝聚在一個令人賞心悅目的現代環境之中，它將改變我們的工作方式。令人振奮的是，它將成為BT在英國的戰略樞紐要地，我們在該市僱用的員工數量也將會大大增加。”

巴利摩董事長兼集團首席執行官Sean Mulryan談到該項目時說：“ 雪山地產開發對巴利摩來說是一個為期16年的項目，創造了100萬平方英尺的辦公空間，在公共建築方面屢獲殊榮，並成為該市的新的商業區。我們為這個成就而感到自豪。BT選擇在三號大樓完工之前簽約，這反映了我們所有合作夥伴的辛勤工作與努力得到了最好的認可。”

英国电信巨头BT（British Telecom）已确认租用伯明翰雪山大楼三号（Three Snowhill）的三分之二的空间，这是有史以来在伦敦以外最大的城市中心商业项目。该协议的达成时间与雪山三号的竣工时间同步，这一成功签约标志着整个雪山重建项目已取得了圆满成功。

雪山大楼项目占地四英亩，靠近Snow Hill火车站,该项目改变了伯明翰Colmore商业区的城市格局。这个项目不仅限于在建造三栋办公大楼，60万平方英尺的最先进的办公空间的开发，还包括在St Chad’s Circus旁边创建一个新的广场，以及在英国中部铁路轻轨延伸站旁架设一座高架桥。该项目由Sidell Architects建筑师事务所总体规划，他们将开发项目打造成为一个顶级的商业区，并在战略上把伯明翰Colmore商业区与北部枪支与珠宝制作区紧密连结在一起，凸显了这一地区在伯明翰经济方面的重要性。

雪山一号和二号分别为13层和14层高，已于2013年竣工并使用，均已全部出租。入驻商户包括巴克莱银行、毕马威计师事务所（KPMG）和英国高铁二期有限公司（HS2）。投资方M&G房地产公司收购了雪山二号，与巴利摩（Ballymore）共同担任项目经理，并为雪山三号提供了资金。

这个耗资2亿英镑的雪山三号是整个项目的最后一期工程，高达17层，提供了42万平方英尺的A级办公空间。该建筑的设计按BREEAM评估标准被评为“极佳设计”。雪山三号三面为玻璃环绕，內部有贯通整体建筑的中央天井。目前， BT已签订了为期20年的租约，最终将为4,000名BT员工提供办公空间。 BT物业和设施服务总经理Graeme Paton表示：“我们在伯明翰的新办公楼将我们的员工们凝聚在一个令人赏心悦目的现代环境之中，它将影响甚至改善我们的工作方式。更令人振奋的是，它将成为BT在英国的战略枢纽要地，我们在伯明翰这里雇用的员工数量也将会大大增加。”

巴利摩董事长兼集团首席执行官Sean Mulryan谈到该项目时说：“ 雪山大楼的地产开发对巴利摩来说是一个历时为期16年的项目，它创造了近100万平方英尺的办公空间，在公共建筑方面屡获殊荣，并已成为该市的新兴的商业区。我们为这个成就而感到自豪。BT选择在三号大楼完工之前签约，这反映我们合作伙伴的辛勤工作与努力得到了最好的认可。”

Telecoms giant BT has taken two thirds of the space in the new Three Snowhill building in Birmingham, which is the largest ever speculative city centre office development outside the capital. The deal coincides with the completion of the building’s construction, confirming the success of the overall Snowhill regeneration.

The Snowhill development has transformed a 4 acre site close to Birmingham’s Snow Hill station, in the city’s Colmore business district. This major project has involved not only the development of 600,000 sq ft of office space in three state-of-the-art buildings but also the creation of a new square beside St Chad’s Circus and delivery of a viaduct beside the station for the Midland Metro light rail extension. Masterplanned by Sidell Architects, the development is now a top business destination in its own right, a strategic link between the Colmore business district and the Gun and Jewellery Quarters to the north and an expression of Birmingham’s economic importance.

The One and Two Snowhill buildings, standing 13 and 14 storeys high respectively, were delivered in 2013, and their space is fully let, with tenants including Barclays, KPMG and infrastructure company High Speed Two (HS2). Investor M&G acquired Two Snowhill and has funded Three Snowhill, working with Ballymore as development manager.

The £200 million final phase provides 420,000 sq ft of grade A office space in the scheme’s tallest building, at 17 storeys. The design of the building, which is rated Excellent under the BREEAM sustainability assessment standard, features full glazing on three sides and a full height central atrium. BT has signed a 20-year lease for its space, which will eventually house up to 4,000 staff. Graeme Paton, managing director of property and facilities services at BT, said, “Our new building in Birmingham will bring our people together in an impressive and modern environment, transforming the way we work. Excitingly, it will become a strategic hub location for BT in the UK with a considerable increase in the number of colleagues we employ based in the city.”

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and Group Chief Executive at Ballymore, said of the project: “The Snowhill estate has been a 16-year project for Ballymore, creating one million sq ft of offices, award-winning public realm and a new business quarter for the city. We’re very proud of this legacy. It’s reflective of all our partners’ hard work that BT has chosen Three Snowhill ahead of its completion.”

Nine Elms is making its mark as a business destination, with the 217,000 sq ft EG:HQ office building securing planning consent and the flagship One Embassy Gardens now coming on stream. These outstanding new office buildings at Ballymore Group’s Embassy Gardens demonstrate how the development is driving transformation through design quality and the careful curation of spaces and places.

Spanning more than 560 acres of Vauxhall and Battersea beside the River Thames, Nine Elms is central London’s largest regeneration district. Richard Howard, Head of London Leasing at commercial property consultant Cushman & Wakefield says many are unaware of the sheer scale of the area’s transformation, but that it is now making an impression on the business community. “The first question occupiers ask of any new area is: ‘who’s coming there?’ And game changing occupiers are coming to Nine Elms,” he says.

Game changers don’t come much bigger than the US Embassy with its shimmering cube of a new building, Apple, which is establishing its London HQ at Battersea Power Station, or publisher Penguin Random House UK, which has taken more than 83,000 sq ft of space in One Embassy Gardens, alongside the 44,000 sq ft taken by its sister business Dorling Kindersley. At Embassy Gardens, occupiers are buying into a brand new neighbourhood that is now rapidly being populated with top quality restaurants and individual cafes. “With the arrival of Darby’s restaurant by chef Robin Gill and other openings, the area has food and beverage offerings that are important to business,” points out Howard.

The planned 13 storey EG: HQ combines flexible, contemporary office space with 5,000 sq ft of ground floor retail and restaurant space. The design by architect Morris+Company fosters employee health and wellbeing, having workspaces with natural light, views and access to the outdoors in a series of private and communal terrace spaces. The 18,000 sq ft of outdoor amenity space is key for modern businesses, allowing, says Morris+Company Founding Director Joe Morris, “for contemplation, collaboration or concentration.” In all, says Cushman & Wakefield’s Howard, EG:HQ, has a lot to offer: “It has a world class architect in Joe Morris, a massive terrace on the tenth floor, a brand new office environment and the river Thames.”

One Embassy Gardens is already coming on stream, demonstrating the standard being set for this thoroughly modern business district. The 215,000 sq ft building, designed by Lee Polisano of PLP Architects, also provides wellbeing-inducing links to its environment, having a roof terrace, winter gardens and views across the capital and the Thames. “The building complements its setting with its quality and fantastic natural light, and compared to a location like Victoria it is cost effective,” says Paul Grindal, Director with commercial property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle.

Grindal sees such space having broad appeal: “On the face of it, media and tech companies will be attracted to the area, but because of the connections to London and the West End I can see corporates and the financial sector being attracted. Apple and the US Embassy will act as poles of attraction.” Being in the zone 1 travel area, the location is convenient for access across the capital and has a direct rail link to Waterloo station. Transport connections are also being further improved, as two new Northern Line underground stations - at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station – are under construction.

In all, the Nine Elms area will have more than 6.5 million sq ft of new commercial space, as well as homes, retail and leisure space, a linear park, river walk and the river Thames itself. As Grindal says, “The regeneration and investment going into the area demonstrate how it is developing as a place.”

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director, Ballymore, commented, “Nine Elms is fast establishing itself as a competitive commercial quarter, thanks to the likes of Apple at Battersea and Penguin Random House and the US Embassy at Embassy Gardens. We know that in order to attract the best talent, companies need to provide high quality office space that supports wellbeing, creativity and ultimately productivity. EG:HQ is the answer to that, in riverside zone one, just a stone’s throw from Westminster.”

Work is getting under way to build a new hospice in Ireland, following a fundraising drive that has raised more than €5m in just two years.

The Roscommon Hospice, which is being built on a site adjacent to Roscommon University Hospital, will have an in-patient unit with eight beds, as well as full day-care and community care. Its hospice and palliative services will be shared with the hospital, supporting the community across the county of Roscommon, which has a population of around 64,000.

The project is being driven by local charitable organisation, the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, which has been providing palliative care services to terminally ill patients and their families in Mayo and Roscommon for around 26 years. Its fundraising efforts have enabled it to build its first hospice, in Mayo, which opened late last year, and it is now embarking on this second project. The Roscommon hospice will house a range of facilities, including a hairdressing studio and family accommodation for those wanting to be close to loved ones, and offer a welcoming and friendly environment. “In-patient rooms all have their own garden and patio so that patients can go out and breathe the fresh air and see the sun, because that is something they often miss,” explains Martina Jennings, chief executive of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

All this is being made possible through the fundraising efforts and contributions of people far and wide. Support has come from community fundraisers with events such as quizzes and coffee mornings, the foundation’s 12 charity shops and the army of 300 volunteers who work in them, and major donors, among them Ballymore Group chief executive Sean Mulryan, who comes from Roscommon. “It has been so inspiring for us to have Sean’s support,” says Jennings. “He has believed in what we are doing and has become a great friend over the past few years.” That support has included helping to organise a charity dinner in New York last May at Irish restaurant Rosie O’Grady’s.

At a ceremony marking the start of the hospice’s construction, Sean Mulryan said: “The work of the hospice puts everything into perspective on life and the more we, the public, can give to help, the better. I am delighted to be a supporter of such a much-needed service for the people of Roscommon.”

Construction of the hospice is expected to be complete next year. “The difference it will make will be immeasurable,” says Martina Jennings. “It will allow us to step up a gear in our services and to bring dignity and respect to patients and their families.”

Look at London City Island, on the Leamouth Peninsula, today and it is already hard to imagine how it used to be. Over the course of 13 years the site has been dramatically transformed from an area of post-industrial decline and dereliction to an urban quarter, where brightly coloured apartment blocks rub shoulders with a shimmering new centre for English National Ballet (ENB).

Here Ballymore has created a very different kind of place, where culture and living are interwoven and take equal billing. It has the ENB, a new facility for the London Film School on the way, cafes and creative businesses, like arebyte gallery, filling the ground floor spaces of its apartment blocks with their 1,706 homes.

This mix has come about by design and determination. Ballymore had a brave placemaking vision to create a cultural quarter for London – and has doggedly pursued that vision. Its own design team, ENB and other creative occupiers and partners have shared that commitment to this ambition. And along the way, innovation, nurturing and hard graft have gone into creating every aspect of the development on this 12 acre site.

The end result is an innovative new model for placemaking, which has seen Ballymore working in partnership with creative businesses to generate a distinctive place and community. Ultimately it is not only a great place to live but also a social and artistic asset to east London. Here’s a glimpse of how it was created, as we mark the week our team has completed the final residential block on the Island.

1800s – From industrial beginnings

Trade and empire drove dockland development to the east of the capital in the nineteenth century, but creation of the East India Docks made access to the Leamouth Peninsula difficult. This then-isolated location was, however, developed with industrial facilities serving the growing capital, and homes for their workers. First, in the 1800s, came the Thames Plate Glass Works, which was replaced later in the century by iron works and wharves. They were followed by Pura Foods which opened a refinery for vegetable oils for margarine and warehousing. The margarine factory was a familiar feature on the local skyline until it closed in 2006.

2009 – Establishing the vision

“The most brownfield of brownfield sites,” is how Dan Mulligan, studio director with Glenn Howells Architects, sums up Leamouth Peninsula before regeneration. Its isolation and industry meant it had relatively few connections to the surrounding area and historic features, so developer and architect had to create a fresh vision for the site. The architect’s masterplan laid the foundations for change, reconnecting the site to the broader area’s dockland legacy and its waterside setting and drawing architectural inspiration from the simple forms and detailing of the site’s old warehouses.

2014 – Linking in

The site’s historic isolation was remedied ahead of the development of its homes, by linking it to Canning Town Jubilee Line station with a bridge across the Lea River. The move was transformational, but delivering the 80 metre red metal bridge, designed by Davies, Maguire and Whitby, was a challenge because of the structure’s location, spanning two London boroughs, and its technical challenges.

2016 – High-speed construction

Construction of the site’s 11 apartment buildings got under way in 2015, and was carried out with extraordinary speed and precision. Buildings were constructed simultaneously, rather than block by block, so at one stage of development some 1,100 homes – as well as the ENB’s centre and a car park – were all under construction. Delivery relied on collaboration across the development team, with everyone from designers and site managers through to the sales staff checking the completed homes all focused on attention to detail.

2017 – Innovative facades

Use of innovative prefabricated brick and concrete façade panels helped to speed construction, with each floor of a building being completed in seven days. In all, some 15,000 panels are being installed on the project. The colourful glazed brick exteriors were inspired by the exotic goods passing through this dockland area and by the architect’s own interest in the Italian artist Giorgio Morandi.

2019 – A heart of art and creativity

“It is my vision to make London City Island a home for art and creativity in the capital,” was how Sean Mulryan, chairman and chief executive of Ballymore Group set out his placemaking ambition. That was fully realised last September when ENB moved into its purpose built centre, a translucent building described by the architect as the “pearl in the oyster”. Delivering the ballet building alongside homes made this the most complex and demanding phase of the overall project for Ballymore Senior Development Manager Laura Corr, but it was also the most rewarding. “The first time I saw dancers in the top studio as I was coming over the bridge, it made me so happy,” she says. The end result has been praised by Tamara Rojo, artistic director of ENB, saying, “I truly believe that this is the best ballet centre in the world, which will transform the way ballet is created and open up the creative process to our audience.”

The future – It’s all about people

The completion of City Island’s homes and the opening of ENB mark its emergence as a community that is home, workplace, leisure destination and a pleasant stop-off point for a Sunday afternoon coffee. Architect Glenn Howells, says, “We first came to this island 10 years ago. What was historically perceived as ‘good factory land’ is now a collage of things, intriguing and different.” Laura Corr adds, “We have created a place where people love to live and that to me is the ultimate compliment.”