A prime riverside building immediately adjacent to the Edmiston London Heliport has been put on the market with vacant possession, and is suitable for redevelopment. Agent Marshall Real Estate has the building – known as Altura Tower – on its website, and we understand that another commercial agent Colliers have also been instructed.

Opened in 2010 as Hotel Verta by Von Essen Hotels, and later becoming the Crowne Plaza Hotel by IHG, the property consists of a basement, the first five floors and the 13th floor. The 6th to 12th floors, and the 14th, are excluded from the sale as they are existing residential units. The building is no longer used as a hote, and has been empty since at least the start of the pandemic.

The big opportunity this sale opens up is be for eVTOL operators to acquire it as a long-term strategic move due to its location adjacent to the existing heliport. The VIP lounge at the heliport could not handle the passenger volume envisaged by high-frequency eVTOL flights, but the hotel building could provide the perfect solution.

Other options suggested by the selling agent include retaining the property as a hotel, conversion to a 96-bedroom care home (via an existing planning consent), or to full-residential apartments or high-density student accommodation.

Marshall Real Estate