Landmark Butterwick Office Block Sale Could Herald Redevelopment
The Metro Building was on the market for £20million
The Metro Building Picture: Watling Real Estate
February 16, 2026
One of Hammersmith’s most prominent commercial properties has been sold in a deal that could influence the future shape of the town centre.
The Metro Building, located on the Hammersmith Gyratory and beside the District and Piccadilly Underground station, has been acquired by The Arora Group in partnership with Deva Capital, the investment arm of Santander Alternative Investments. The sale was handled by Watling Real Estate on behalf of fixed charge receivers, with director Jamie Lamond advising on the transaction.
The 11-storey office building is currently multi-let across eight floors, with 63,250 sq ft occupied. It was marketed for offers over £20 million and designated as a development opportunity. Lamond described the Metro Building as a high-specification asset, offering around 105,237 sq ft across the ground floor and ten upper floors. He noted that its position immediately adjacent to Hammersmith Broadway and the station gives it exceptional transport connectivity and makes it a key gateway site for the area. He added that the acquisition provides The Arora Group with a range of options for alternative uses and the opportunity to reposition and enhance the existing building.
Constructed in the late 1970s, the Metro Building features a double-height reception that was fully refurbished in 2020. The sale was jointly marketed with Cushman & Wakefield. Joint fixed charge receivers Nathan Pask and Andrew Foster were advised by Pinsent Masons, while Dentons acted for The Arora Group.
The Arora Group is well known for its large-scale hotel and airport-related developments, including major new-build projects at Heathrow and Gatwick. However, it also has a history of refurbishing and upgrading existing commercial buildings when they occupy strong locations and retain a viable structural frame.
In recent years the company has tended to redevelop sites where a complete change of use or significant expansion is required, and to refurbish buildings that already benefit from good transport links and can be modernised to meet current standards.
Given the Metro Building’s solid late-1970s construction, its relatively recent reception refurbishment, its constrained urban setting and its status as an income-producing asset, a full demolition and redevelopment may be less likely in the short term. A substantial refurbishment or repositioning, potentially including changes of use within the existing structure, would be more consistent with Arora’s recent approach.
Even so, the company’s reference to “a range of options for alternative uses” suggests that longer-term redevelopment has not been ruled out, particularly if market conditions or planning policy around Hammersmith Broadway evolve.
The sale comes at a time when Hammersmith’s office market is undergoing significant change, with several older buildings being upgraded to meet modern environmental standards and new developments emerging around the Broadway and King Street. The Metro Building’s prominent position on Butterwick makes it a strategic site, and its future will play a part in shaping the next phase of the town centre’s commercial landscape.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |