Swearings-in at association join rail and tall building plans made for London.

LEIA Announces New Leadership

The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) recently announced Alastair Stannah, managing director of Stannah Lifts, and Paul Turner, technical director of Schindler U.K. and Ireland, as its new president and vice president, respectively. Stannah has been with the family business for more than 20 years and heads its new lift and service business in the U.K. He has been a LEIA board member for 12 years. Turner has worked in the industry for more than 20 years for both large lift companies and contractors. He is a member of the Schindler U.K. and Ireland Board of Management.

London

TfL Approves New Entrance to Rail Station

Transport for London (TfL) has won approval to improve the entrance to the Walthamstow Central Tube rail station for the Victoria line, Ian Visits reported in January. The proposal, part of a plan for rebuilding a nearby shopping center, involves the entrance to the railway station on the south side that also includes a large bus station and accesses to both the underground and the London Overground. The Victoria line currently has one pair of escalators up to the ticket hall, which is shared with the Overground facility, causing congestion at peak hours. In addition, the Victoria line platforms lack lift access for people with mobility needs. The new plan will double the number of escalators and include a large lift that will help draw people from the existing shared exit. The new hall will not have a ticket office, but will have ticket machines and come with six standard ticket barriers and two wide barriers. The report did not say when the work would begin.

Neighbor Approved for Iconic “Walkie-Talkie” Tower

The Rafael Viñoly-designed, 37-story “Walkie-Talkie” skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street will likely be getting a 30-story neighbor, with the City of London Corp. approving Hong Kong developer Tenacity International Group’s office tower plan, Bloomberg reported in January. The source observed it is one of the largest proposed developments in London’s financial district since the onset of the pandemic and noted there are indications that big corporations continue to commit to long-term leases, given a dearth of new office space. Noting that Brexit and the pandemic have created “incredibly difficult conditions,” Tenacity CEO Patrick Wong said he believes “London is, and will remain, an attractive city for companies large and small, and their workers.”