Oxford Properties enters joint venture agreement with
Brookfield Office Properties to develop site
London, 12 July 2012 - Brookfield Office Properties Inc.
(BPO: NYSE/TSX) announces that it has taken a long lease
ownership of the London Wall Place development site
following the assignment of Hammerson's Option Agreement,
approved by the City of London Corporation.
Oxford Properties, the real estate arm of the OMERS
Worldwide group of companies, has now agreed to a 50/50
joint venture with Brookfield to develop the London Wall
Place site.
The initial payment to acquire the option was £1.75m for
design work carried out with an additional £22.23m paid to
the City of London today. Brookfield and Oxford Properties
are funding their pro-rata shares. Further payments are due
over the next few years as the development progresses.
The 1.8 acre site is situated in a core location within the
City near the major transport hub of Moorgate Station and
in close proximity to St Paul's. The site has over 200m of
frontage, and Planning Permission for a two-building office
scheme of 300,000 sq. ft. and 200,000 sq. ft.
Martin Jepson, Senior Vice-President, Development and
Investment, Brookfield Office Properties, Europe,
commented: "London Wall Place is a great acquisition for
us. The size of the site and its proximity to good
transport links and local amenities makes it one of the
most attractive development sites in the City.
"We are also extremely pleased to be launching a joint
venture initiative in partnership with Oxford Properties to
develop the site. Like Brookfield, Oxford Properties has a
long track record of delivering and managing quality office
assets and we look forward to maximising the commercial
potential of the site through the application of our joint
expertise."
Paul Brundage, Executive Vice President, Senior Managing
Director Europe of Oxford Properties commented: "Our
investment in London Wall Place is consistent with Oxford
Properties' UK strategy and is further evidence of our
long-term commitment to, and confidence in, the strength of
the London market. As one of London's prime development
sites, our investment in London Wall Place represents
targeted expansion of the development arm of our European
portfolio. London Wall Place is a direct complement to our
wider existing investment and development portfolio, which
includes 122 Leadenhall, MidCity Place, Watermark Place and
Green Park.
"We are very pleased to partner with Brookfield and look
forward to leveraging the complementary strengths of our
two organisations to maximise the development potential and
investment returns of this landmark site."
Michael Cassidy, the elected Chairman of the City of London
Corporation's Property Investment Board said:
''This is a globally important headquarters office site in
the City of London and will benefit from the arrival of the
new Crossrail link in 2018, providing a speedy connection
to Heathrow. I am really pleased that Brookfield and Oxford
Properties have taken on this site. It epitomises the magic
cluster effect of excellent transport links, first-class
street infrastructure, highly attractive workplaces and the
available supply of a highly skilled work force, all of
which helps to maintain the City as a major world financial
centre.
"We look forward to working with Brookfield and Oxford
Properties to see this vision realised."
ends -
For further information please contact:
Brookfield Office Properties
UK:
Ged Brumby at Smithfield
(0)20 7903 0674
gbrumby@smithfieldgroup.com
North America:
Melissa Coley, VP, Investor Relations & Communications at
Brookfield
212-417-7215
Melissa.coley@brookfieldproperties.com
About Brookfield Office Properties
Brookfield Office Properties owns, develops and manages
premier office properties in the United States, Canada,
Australia and Europe. Its portfolio is comprised of
interests in 110 properties totaling 78 million square feet
in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, D.C.,
Houston, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Toronto, Calgary,
Ottawa, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and London, making it the
global leader in the ownership and management of office
assets. Landmark properties include the World Financial
Center in Manhattan, Brookfield Place in Toronto, Bank of
America Plaza in Los Angeles, Bankers Hall in Calgary, and
Darling Park in Sydney. The company's common shares trade
on the NYSE and TSX under the symbol BPO. For more
information, visit www.brookfieldofficeproperties.com.
About Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties Group, the real estate arm of the OMERS
Worldwide Group of Companies, is a global platform for real
estate investment, development and management, with over
1,300 employees and approximately $20 billion of real
assets that it manages for itself and on behalf of its
co-owners and investment partners. Established in 1960,
Oxford was acquired in 2001 by OMERS, one of Canada's
largest pension funds with over $53 billion in assets.
Oxford has regional offices in Toronto, London and New
York, each with investment, development and management
professionals who have deep real estate expertise and local
market insight. For more information visit
www.oxfordproperties.com
About the City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation is a uniquely diverse
organisation. It supports and promotes the City as the
world leader in international finance and business services
and provides local services and policing for those working
in, living in and visiting the Square Mile. It also
provides valued services to London and the nation. These
include the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School of
Music & Drama; the Guildhall Library and Art Gallery and
London Metropolitan Archive; a range of education provision
(including three City Academies); five Thames bridges
(including Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge); the
Central Criminal Court at Old Bailey; over 10,000 acres of
open spaces (including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest),
and three wholesale food markets. It is also London's Port
Health Authority and runs the Animal Reception Centre at
Heathrow. It works in partnership with neighbouring
boroughs on the regeneration of surrounding areas and the
City of London Corporation's charity, the City Bridge
Trust, which it oversees, donates more than £15m to charity
annually.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and
information within the meaning of applicable securities
legislation. Although Brookfield Office Properties believes
that the anticipated future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements and information are based upon reasonable
assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking statements and
information because they involve assumptions, known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may
cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
the company to differ materially from anticipated future
results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements and information.
Accordingly, the company cannot give any assurance that its
expectations will in fact occur and cautions that actual
results may differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements and information include, but are
not limited to, general economic conditions; local real
estate conditions, including the development of properties
in close proximity to the company's properties; timely
leasing of newly-developed properties and re-leasing of
occupied square footage upon expiration; dependence on
tenants' financial condition; the uncertainties of real
estate development and acquisition activity; the ability to
effectively integrate acquisitions; interest rates;
availability of equity and debt financing; the impact of
newly-adopted accounting principles on the company's
accounting policies and on period-to-period comparisons of
financial results; and other risks and factors described
from time to time in the documents filed by the company
with the securities regulators in Canada and the United
States, including in the Annual Information Form under the
heading "Business of Brookfield Office Properties - Company
and Real Estate Industry Risks," and in the company's most
recent interim report under the heading "Management's
Discussion and Analysis." The company undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements or information, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required
by law.