WINTER | FEATURE
and have a further eight cinema
screens and Phase 2 of ICON Outlet
set to open in the first half of 2019.
We are also giving thought to what
further leisure anchors and visitor
attractions we might be able to
incorporate into the development
and looking at how the scheme
might open up to and create more
of a relationship with the riverside.
Magazine London
Magazine, London. Vibration Group
strategy & creative director, Simeon
Aldred talks to Access...
and other large mixed use schemes
globally in identifying how they
might perform. This is a key first
step in any development we carry
out. We then tend to develop mini
business plans for each phase and
present those to our ownership for
approval.
How will the wider development
of East London/North Greenwich
benefit The O2 and vice versa?
Regeneration projects require
patience and time. I think it is fair
to say The O2 has had a major
positive impact on the sustained
regeneration of the Greenwich
Peninsula and East London and its
reuse has positively impacted the
perception of the area. Likewise,
we are also benefitting majorly
from the extensive redevelopment
and regeneration being carried out
on this side of London. East London
is thriving now, but it did take
time for the speed of delivery of
this regeneration to pick up - The
Olympic Games and the sustained
growth at Canary Wharf have also
been major drivers of that.
What does the future look like
for The O2? Are there any other
projects in the pipeline?
We have just secured consent
for a 36 storey residential
tower outside The O2, so we
are currently exploring how we
might deliver this. With our joint
venture partners Crosstree, we
have recently delivered the ICON
Outlet and Oxygen Freejumping,
Mockup imagery of the upcoming
Magazine London, located near
The O2
When was the venue first
imagined, and how did it come into
fruition?
Vibration Group and our content
providers Broadwick Live have an
active plan to open new culture
venues across the UK in the next
five years. We have been actively
looking for a space in east London
that is large enough for the use
to create a space of the scale our
partners and clients are looking
for.
Hundreds of years ago, the site
was the storage for a gun powder
magazine so the history informed
the simple black finishes and
design of the building.
What made this site attractive?
For me the most attractive part
of the site was its closeness to
central London with London
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