Kallakis’s Astral projection

    Achilleas Kallakis’s Pacific Group will begin work shortly on a 250,000 sq ft office complex in the centre of Crawley, West Sussex.   Pacific, the Monaco and Swiss-based family trust chaired by Greek shipping tycoon Kallakis, has gained consent for its County Oak Park development in the Manor Royal area of Crawley.   Pacific bought the site, which includes the 114,895 sq ft Astral Towers office block,  in 2006 for £21.6m.   The trust subsequently enlisted Jones Lang LaSalle and architect Harding, Neill & Watson to work up plans to more than double the complex by building on the adjacent car park and encompassing the adjoining White House office scheme.   The proposals comprise three offices – one of eight and two of six storeys – and will see the White House and the single-storey north wing of Astral Towers demolished.   Vanessa Clark, a director in Jones Lang LaSalle’s East London business team, said: “We are delighted that planning consent has been granted by Crawley borough council to Pacific Group for a scheme of three buildings and a decked car park.   “Despite challenging market conditions, it is anticipated that the decked car park and the first office building will be commenced speculatively, acknowledging the very real gap in supply in the Crawley office market and underlining the owner’s appetite for speculative development.   “The proposed scheme has been designed sympathetically and will include water and soft landscape features as well as expansion of the existing on-site café.”   Kallakis’ Pacific Group is working up proposals for a series of major developments in London and the South East.   Later this year it will lodge plans to replace the 1970s-built Apollo House and Lunar House buildings in Croydon with a 3.3m sq ft scheme, including a 59-storey residential skyscraper.   It is also working up plans for a makeover of Market Towers, the Department of Health’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority’s 220,000 sq ft government headquarters overlooking the Thames in Vauxhall, SW8.   paul.norman@rbi.co.uk