Bedford Estates kicks off Associated British Foods HQ refurb

The Bedford Estates has lodged plans for a revamp of a Bloomsbury office block to hold onto the building’s tenant, Primark owner Associated British Foods. The estate has applied to Camden Council to refurbish, reclad and extend 50-51 Russell Square, WC1. The 1960s block is ABF’s head office but a planning statement from Savills describes it as “tired and in need of a major refurbishment”. “The principal purpose of the scheme is to provide continuing accommodation for ABF so that they can expand and remain in Russell Square as their international headquarters,” Savills said, adding that the submission is made with ABF’s support and that the company would move to temporary accommodation during the works. [caption id="attachment_1218552" align="aligncenter" width="847"] New vision for the “tired” Bloomsbury office at 50-51 Russell Square[/caption] EG understands that ABF has had a requirement in the market for 50,000 sq ft of office space in the West End, and that it had looked at options for consolidating the Russell Square workforce and another London site, on Grosvenor Street, in one building. The Garnett Architecture-designed proposals for Russell Square include a new façade to the main building; a roof extension; the demolition of a two-storey outrigger and replacement with three-storey plus plant enclosure; and an extension to the car park to provide more room for bicycles, but without provision for cars. To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@eg.co.uk, tweet @_tim_burke or @EGPropertyNews, or e-mail chante.bohitige@eg.co.uk, tweet @bohitige or @EGPropertyNews Image © Garnett Architecture