Lewisham town centre development hits trouble

A major development in Lewisham town centre has hit trouble.

According to a report in Construction Enquirer a dispute between contractors and Balfour Beatty has seen some work cease at Lewisham Gateway.

Recently this site covered progress and noted work seemed to have barely advanced in some areas for months. Particularly on the cinema side.

And that brings us to another major issue which has afflicted the site since work begun. The proposed cinema operator Empire entered administration.

A cinema is hardly an easy space to rework. Cavernous screening rooms and an entire building without windows doesn’t lend itself to easy re-use if no other operator can be found.

The report states a year’s delay may occur to the site. However some elements such as the tower appear compete – at least externally.

Given the conflict seemed to have centred around the external façade perhaps some residents will move in soon. One to watch.

When complete around 600 flats are due to be on site alongside a number of commercial units.

Adverts are far from enough to cover living costs and and pay to keep it going with hosting fees, URL fees and Theme costs adding into the hundreds of pounds.