Pathways to Property:

Starting Your Career in Real Estate

Introduction to the IQL

scheme
Video transcript

My name's Ben O'Rouke, I'm the Managing Director of International Quarter London for
Lendlease and London Continental Railways.
International Quarter London is a project where Lendlease has been involved for about
five years now. We got involved off the back of the Athletes' Village, which was a project
that we were the development manager and the project manager and the builder of. As it
transpires, it's now become one of the biggest urban regenerations in Europe. It's
certainly the biggest new office precinct in London.
There's more trains going through Stratford at peak hour than at Waterloo or Victoria,
which is quite a remarkable statistic. It's close to Kings Cross, it's close to City airport, it's
very, very well-connected. There's very, very strong infrastructure here in terms of
services that were all put in place for the Olympics. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
and all the amenity that comes with that, the sporting venues, one of the biggest
shopping complexes in Europe, there's a lot going on here, so there's a lot to offer.
And when you look at that and you look at what we're trying to do in terms of creating
25,000 jobs, four million square feet-plus of office, bringing in people to live and work and
play in this environment, it's a real opportunity, but it's also an obligation.
If we get it right for the tenant and we have people who want to come and want to bring
their businesses, and want to bring their people here, then we create value. And the best
thing about that value is it's a result of those efforts rather than it being the sort of the
driver that you're trying to create.
Value in the sense of place and experience and amenity is really important to lead. Value
in terms of profits should be something that is a result of all that, all of that effort.
In the next 18 months, we will open phase one, which will have full occupancy of all our
residences. It will have TFL's new headquarters. It will have the FCA's new
headquarters. It will have a plethora of restaurants, of cafes, of shops. It will have a

©University of Reading 2020 Tuesday 25 February 2020 Page 1

Pathways to Property:
Starting Your Career in Real Estate

public realm with an amenity that we're looking to set at a whole new level for London.
And it will set the project up for what follows.
The east of London is a huge area of growth. There's an enormous amount of expansion
happening in this area. And if we do an incredible job with the International Quarter
London, we will create, and we have, we'll create an incredible place. We take it very,
very seriously that what we have here as an opportunity for us, it's also very, very
important we leave a very productive and positive legacy into the future.

©University of Reading 2020 Tuesday 25 February 2020 Page 2