London has some of the world’s most prestigious real estate. A property in an iconic location such as Portman Square is much sought-after, especially apartments that overlook the quintessentially, English central private gardens.

PBC’s Building Consultancy Department specialises in undertaking Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) Programmes for The Portman Estate, and this year has been a very busy one for the team.

Many ongoing projects are part of 5-year rolling plans to repair the external fabric and internal décor of these beautiful buildings. Over the last year, works have been completed on many of the Estate’s Listed buildings such as brickwork cleaning, new roof coverings, and external redecoration as well as internal upgrades of decoration, floor covering and lighting whilst taking into account the Estate’s best practice policies for health and safety and security.

Much of the work that is undertaken during these programmes has to be carried out with the building’s tenants in situ. At a property in Great Cumberland Place, when a new, large rooflight was installed, this necessitated both internal and external scaffolding to be erected. Ensuring that residents could safely access their apartments was paramount, as was keeping disruption and noise to a minimum.

Maintaining the internal and external integrity of London’s historic houses is of vital importance, and PBC has unrivalled expertise in this area. Over the years, the team has worked closely with the Estate’s owner, and the relevant planning departments, ensuring that work is carried out in accordance with their strict requirements. Other projects, such as a Feasibility Study into the upgrading and extending learning spaces at the Greenwich Royal Observatory, have also benefited from this expertise.