London’s New Underground Line: How Crossrail Will Transform Central London
At Consulco, we have been successfully investing our own money and our clients’ funds in London commercial property investments for eight years. In that time, our London-based experts have acquired 32 assets now valued at £100m.
Our acquisition strategy is built around acquiring assets close to London’s new Crossrail stations. We will witness the fruits of this approach when Crossrail opens in December 2018.
What is Crossrail?
Crossrail is a new railway line which is under development and will be of enormous significance to London’s transport network, spanning London and the Home Counties. The line will run from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through 42km of new tunnels under London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The project was approved in 2007 and has been under construction since 2009. It will be operated by Transport for London and fully integrated with the city’s existing transport network. The line has been renamed the Elizabeth Line, after the Queen.
The new network will provide a much faster means of getting into central London from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex, and between major stations within the city. An extra 1.5 million people will be brought within 45 minutes of central London, supporting regeneration across the UK and bringing an anticipated £42bn to the economy. It will also relieve pressure from London’s busy existing public transport services, particularly the London Underground. An estimated 200 million passengers are set to use Crossrail each year, increasing central London rail capacity by 10%, the largest increase since World War Two.
Crossrail will be served by 41 stations, including 10 which have been newly built for the project. These new stations will open at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House, Woolwich and Abbey Road.
Construction of the Elizabeth Line is now in its final stages. The first completed infrastructure will be handed over to Transport for London in December, and they will lead the trial operations phase ahead of the official opening of the new railway. The line will be fully operational , with trains running along the entire line, in December 2019.
Our Investment Strategy
The commercial property market has enjoyed strong returns over the past eight years, but locations close to Crossrail stations have seen that return turbo-charged. Quite simply, Crossrail means more people, more customers, and higher rents.
To demonstrate how Consulco has put this strategy into actions, the map depicts the impending Crossrail route, its stations and the assets that we have acquired.
Over 60% of the Consulco property portfolio lies within 250m of a new Crossrail station. We do not believe that any other advisor has executed this strategy as successfully as Consulco.
Benefits to Our Clients
Consulco creates investment clubs of like-minded, high net-worth individuals for which we acquire, manage and add value to central London commercial property investments. Our latest vehicle, Sparta Capital Holdings Ltd., remains open for investment but has already acquired four exciting assets. Three of these, in Ealing, Soho and Farringdon, are located within 250m of a Crossrail station – in fact the Farringdon property is situated directly opposite the new station entrance / exit.
Rather than just ‘let and forget,’ Consulco seeks to add additional value by actively managing its clients’ properties. The Ealing, Camden and Farringdon assets all provide refurbishment and/ or extension opportunities. Meanwhile, we have already achieved tenancy improvements at the Soho property.
So, when you are next in London, do look out for the new Elizabeth Line. You will find beautiful, state of the art stations, each thoughtfully designed to reflect their unique surroundings, and fast new trains to whisk you from Heathrow directly to the heart of this great city. And as you sit in the air-conditioned carriages – a prospect we particularly relish during this summer’s exceptional London weather – remember that Consulco has been hand-picking property investments above ground for the last eight years!
For any further information please contact us by email at info@consulco.com, or by phone at 22361300.
http://www.goldnews.com.cy/en/opinion/london%E2%80%99s-new-underground-line--how-crossrail-will-transform-central-london