B&Q STORE NAMED ‘RETAIL / LEISURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR’

London – 27 November 2008 – B&Q’s recent flagship store at New Malden has been named ‘Retail / Leisure development of the Year’ at the 2008 Estates Gazette Green Awards

CBRE’s Planning team has worked alongside B&Q throughout the planning process to secure permission for the site. The development is on course for an 'Excellent' BREEAM rating and promises to set standards in sustainable development.

Lee Swan, Senior Planner, CBRE said, “This development has overcome a number of significant hurdles since its inception in 2002/3, not least the fact that it was one of first major development to trigger the ‘Merton Rule’ which requires the provision of renewable energy on site to off set a percentage of the development’s carbon footprint.

B&Q along with a visionary project team have worked together to rise to the environmental challenges posed by the local Council whilst maintaining a development which is deliverable and commercially viable.

This is a very special building and is certainly a far cry from a traditional crinkly retail shed. The development’s design is a key factor in creating buildings which are as efficient as possible before any hard core renewables are engineered in to meet policy requirements.

The award is testimony to the value of collaborative working across professions and a client who is willing to rise to the environmental challenges currently facing the property sector.”

Renewable energy sources and sustainable features such as a wind-powered signage tower, the use of thermal piles for underground heating, rainwater harvesting initiatives and a naturally lit sales floor will support 20% of the site's energy requirements.

The mixed-use development features approximately 214,000 sq ft of retail floor space (comprising a 208,000 sq ft retail warehouse and four independent retail units), ancillary offices and café and 52 residential units, saving 50% of the urban land mass usually required.

The store opens for trading in January 2009.