Wedoany.com Report on Feb 24th, John F. Hunt has successfully won the initial works for a £150 million office project in London's West End, being built by Sir Robert McAlpine on behalf of Dutch developer Edge. Hunt has secured a £4 million contract to undertake the demolition, soft strip, and enabling works for the building at 125 Shaftesbury Avenue. The scope includes asbestos removal, the removal of the roof and ten floors of structure, and the removal of the existing reinforced concrete stairs down to level seven. Hunt is expected to continue operations on site for the remainder of this year.

McAlpine last autumn beat Bowmer & Kirkland to win another £150 million office project on Charing Cross Road, which is being handled for Luxembourg-based client VREF Shaftesbury Avenue and is a joint venture between Edge and Mitsubishi Estate. The redevelopment scheme for 125 Shaftesbury Avenue, designed by architect DSDHA, plans to transform the 11-storey brick-faced office building originally constructed in 1982 into a modern 13-storey structure. This will add 250,000 sq ft of office space, including ground-floor workspace, roof terraces, end-of-trip facilities, and cycle parking. The building was previously occupied by tech giant Facebook and is situated adjacent to two of London's major thoroughfares, Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. Hunt stated, "The project requires careful planning for public interface management to ensure pedestrian safety."

Due to the building's proximity to the Phoenix Theatre, Hunt emphasised that strictly enforced noise-restricted working windows and finely controlled measures will be implemented to ensure theatre performances are not disrupted. Troy Robertson, Operations Director at Hunt, said, "This is one of London's most challenging urban environments. The team has developed a highly detailed delivery strategy, balancing safety, sustainability, and community sensitivity, to fully support our client's redevelopment plans for this project." Edge anticipates that the 125 Shaftesbury Avenue project (planned to be renamed) will be completed in autumn 2028. Additionally, the Edge Liverpool Street project, designed by AHMM and expected to be built by Mace, is scheduled for completion the following summer.