Singapore tycoon Ong Beng Seng has announced a further thrust into Britain with a GBP300 million (about HK$3.96 billion) investment into a prestigious London riverside site.
The upmarket London office development nestles beneath Canary Wharf and contains Europe's tallest tower.
Through the Singapore listed group Hotel Properties, Mr Ong, who also owns London's Four Seasons Hotel and the Halkin, plans to build a mixed development including condominiums and a hotel and shops on a 4.61 hectare site within the Canary Wharf development.
Heads of agreement have been signed between Hotel Properties and Canary Wharf, which owns the entire development, to form a joint venture which will give about 70 per cent of the company to Hotel Properties, with the remaining 30 per cent to Canary Wharf.
'This is a unique opportunity to acquire an interest in the premiere riverside development in London. Together with Canary Wharf Ltd, we intend to create a development which, with unparalleled facilities, will set a new standard in city lifestyle,' Mr Ong said.
The joint venture company plans to acquire the site, with an agreed present value estimated at about GBP50 million.
It is understood that Hotel Properties' share of the cost of the land would be financed by internal resources and bank borrowings.