Construction has restarted at the £500m 100 Kensington development following the administration of former main contractor Ardmore Group.
Developer SevenCapital has brought delivery of the 462-home West Cromwell Road scheme under a newly formed contractor, Seven Capital (Woodrow) Ltd, which will operate under the management of the wider group.
Work was temporarily halted after six Ardmore businesses entered administration in June, with trading ceasing across the affected companies and 275 jobs reportedly lost.
The development is now more than 30% complete, with phased completions planned from the final quarter of 2027 and the overall scheme expected to finish around the turn of 2028.
NEW CONTRACTOR TAKES CONTROL
SevenCapital says the replacement contractor is being led by its Chief Operating Officer James Moody, alongside an experienced construction management team.
Funding from Maslow Capital remains in place and continues to be deployed towards completing the development. SevenCapital expects more than 500 people to be working on the site by the autumn.
Moody says: “Whilst construction works on the 100 Kensington scheme were forced into a temporary pause due to the administration of Ardmore Group, we are pleased to confirm that the works have now recommenced under a new main contractor, Seven Capital (Woodrow) Ltd.”
He adds that SevenCapital had been aware of Ardmore’s financial difficulties and developed a contingency plan to protect the scheme’s delivery.
462 HOMES PLANNED
The 1.7-hectare development will provide 276 market-sale apartments and 186 affordable homes across seven buildings arranged around a central podium garden.
Picture credit: SevenCapital
Its centrepiece is The Oria, a 29-storey tower containing 129 apartments and penthouses. Topping out is scheduled for October.
The scheme will also include three mansion-style buildings, a health club with a swimming pool and gym, a pavilion for events and cinema screenings, and retail, office and community space.
Picture credit: SevenCapital
Almost £40m of off-plan sales have already been agreed at The Oria, while The Ellery, the first mansion building to offer private apartments, is scheduled to launch in September.
Moody adds: “100 Kensington is now back on track. The development to date has seen an ongoing steady flow of off-plan sales and this positive news about the future of the development will help to maintain buyer confidence.”
100 Kensington is being developed through a 50:50 joint venture between SevenCapital and MARK Capital Management.
