UK property firm Capital & Counties (Capco) has exchanged contracts to sell the Wellington block, a hotel project in London’s Covent Garden, for £76.5 mln (€84 mln) before costs. The price is in line with the property valuation as at 30 June, the vendor said in a statement.

covent garden

Covent Garden

The buyer is the Portfolio Club, a joint venture between APG and London Central Portfolio (LCP) launched last year to create a new lifestyle hospitality brand in prime central London locations.

The Wellington block is a freehold island site located on the south east corner of Covent Garden comprising six separate properties and has recently received planning consent to develop a 146-room hotel with retail and restaurant space.

It comprises 25-31 Wellington Street, 23 Wellington Street, 15 Exeter Street, 12 & 14 Burleigh Street and Burleigh House, currently providing approximately 66,000 ft2 (6,130 m2) of lettable space increasing to over 100,000 ft2 following completion of the consented hotel.

 â€˜This represents an attractive opportunity to gain access to a high quality property in an unrivalled location and to add value through redevelopment and innovation,’ commented Robert-Jan Foortse, head of European Property Investments at APG. ‘We intend to create a new type of accommodation which is cutting edge in terms of place-making, whilst promoting the highest standards in environmental and social responsibility. Once completed, the Wellington block will be the hub of our new brand of flexible stay, all-suite hotels. This is a vision we share with our partner, LCP, who will be leading the project on our joint behalf.’