The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinars
Urbanity
Awards
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUMMIT THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
EVENT DETAILSDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
7
print
Print
OtherTed TabetTue 19 Mar 19

New Westfield Owner Forges Forward with $1.2bn Build to Rent Project

5283a0fa-6b98-41dc-8b93-4fa7a2d8bdca

French retail giant Unibail-Rodamco, which completed a $33 billion takeover of Sir Frank Lowy’s Westfield empire last year, has partnered with Canadian companies PSP and QuadReal to develop a £670 million (AUD$1.2 billion) residential scheme in London.

Pension fund Public Sector Pension Investment Board and global real estate company QuadReal Property Group struck the deal with the the French company to develop and manage the company’s long-time plan for the Cherry Park precinct next to its newly owned Westfield Stratford City.

The Cherry Park Development, which will be one of London's largest single-site schemes, will feature approximately 1,200 new homes with high end facilities, workspace and public areas within a build-to-rent model.

PSP and QuadReal will each take a 37.5 per cent share in the Cherry Park Partnership.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) will retain a 25 per cent share and be appointed as the development and asset manager.

Related: Lendlease Wins $14bn London Regeneration Project


Leveraging residential with retail

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the global mall giant formed out of Unibail's $33 billion takeover last year, will now leverage its Westfield Stratford City shopping centre by developing a massive project fit for the private rented sector.

“With the Cherry Park Partnership, we are leveraging our unique know-how and joining with strategic capital partners to reinvent city districts,” URW chief development officer Olivier Bossard said

“This new residential quarter in the heart of Stratford City is an example of the Group's strategy to significantly increase the densification of exceptional and highly connected retail destinations by adding offices, residential, hotels and other uses, where relevant.”

The “developer and operator of flagship shopping destinations” currently own and operated 93 shopping centres in 13 countries, with 56 of those properties being flagship centres in major gateway cities.

“London's residential sector is chronically undersupplied and Cherry Park supports PSP's broader long-term sectorial strategy to develop professionally managed residential assets alongside best-in-class investment partners,”

“Once completed, this will be one of central London's largest residential rental schemes and will offer future residents an incredible level of connectivity in an exciting and unique mixed-use location.”

Construction work is set to start in the second quarter of this year, with a phased completion and a delivery expected after 2023.


Westfield Stratford City in numbers

• 175,000sq m of total retail floor area
• Supports 10,000 permanent jobs
• The centre is anchored by a 22,000sq m John Lewis department store, 3,000sq m Waitrose supermarket and 12,600sq m Marks & Spencer department store.


Unibail-Rodamco, which trades on the Paris and Amsterdam exchanges, retains a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange, is currently looking to reposition assets.

URW disposed of €2.0 billion (A$3.1 billion) worth of offices and shopping centers across 2018 at a pace well ahead of its original expectations.

Over the next two years URW plans to sell almost €4 billion (A$6.3 billion) of European assets to reduce its leverage to between 30-40 per cent.

URW has also halted its £1.4 billion (A$2.5 billion) project to open a third London mall in southern suburb Croydon, due to political and economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and structural changes in the retail sector.

ResidentialInternationalSector
AUTHOR
Ted Tabet
The Urban Developer - Journalist
More articles by this author
website iconlinkedin icon
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Improving capacity using immersion cooling instead of the traditional cooling systems used in data centres today.
Exclusive

The Cloud in Your Basement: How Cooling Tech Will Reshape Data Centres

Renee McKeown
5 Min
EPISSOD Centurion, Mac Park EDM
Exclusive

From Singapore to Sydney: Centurion Digs into Australian Living Sectors

Clare Burnett
6 Min
The Treehouse Frasers Community Studio Johnston.
Exclusive

How Designing for Connection is Creating Highrise Returns

Vanessa Croll
8 Min
Exclusive

Launching Queensland’s Future: The Man Guiding the Million-Home Plan

Phil Bartsch
10 Min
Singapore Smart City AI hero
Exclusive

AI Gaining Pace But ‘You Cannot Synthesise Soul’

Clare Burnett
6 Min
View All >
Sponsored

Why Built Environments Demand Layered Thinking, Not Siloed Delivery

Partner Content
Mirvac is expanding its WA portfolio with an 83ha site in Perth’s north-east corridor of Bullsbrook
Residential

Mirvac Adds Bullsbrook Site to Perth Greenfield Plans

Renee McKeown
Brisbane Adelaide Street Russo Tower DA hero
Development

Rich-Lister Jobs Queen Pitches Pencil-Thin Brisbane Tower

Phil Bartsch
The high-end 36-storey CBD proposal comprises 20 three-bedroom apartments across either single or dual levels...
LATEST
Architecture

Why Built Environments Demand Layered Thinking, Not Siloed Delivery

Partner Content
5 Min
Mirvac is expanding its WA portfolio with an 83ha site in Perth’s north-east corridor of Bullsbrook
Residential

Mirvac Adds Bullsbrook Site to Perth Greenfield Plans

Renee McKeown
2 Min
Brisbane Adelaide Street Russo Tower DA hero
Development

Rich-Lister Jobs Queen Pitches Pencil-Thin Brisbane Tower

Phil Bartsch
3 Min
El Toro Hotel Revamp EDM
Hotel

Eight-Storey Hotel Planned for Mexican Pub Site at Liverpool

Clare Burnett
3 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/new-westfield-owner-forges-forward-with-12bn-build-to-rent-project-