Good News (Pickled project, Palm House restoration,
Wimbledon Park project), Not So Good News (UK
mega projects, Green project delays, Transport problems
& more), Other Project News (AI, Sizewell “C”, HS2)
and some bits about birds
REPORT
By Dr. Miles Shepherd
Executive Advisor & International Correspondent
Salisbury, England, UK
INTRODUCTION
It’s been a fairly quiet month as much the Country has been immersed in sporting events of one type or another. Tennis, golf, football and cricket have all occupied the headlines. Although major sporting events can be regarded as projects, or the ones I have been involved with certainly were, most observers are just interested in the scores, not realising that the results come from project organising.
We have a crop of new projects to report, some less good news as UK mega project progress is sharply criticised and we have the HS2 report to digest. New nuclear on old nuclear sites also featured since our last report.
GOOD NEWS
Pickled Project. AXA IM Alts, a major player in alternative investments has secured a resolution to grant planning permission for its proposed office development at 63 St Mary Axe. The site is just next door to the famous Gherkin at No 30. The new build is a 46-storey building designed by Fletcher Priest Architects. The 36 floors of workspace are intended to be a sustainable development targeting user well-being with access to fresh air and gardens. The design includes the creation of ‘Camomile Park’ which will provide new public green space in the City and feature a currently buried section of London’s ancient Roman wall.
Design Sketch
Image Fletcher Priest
The engagement programme included more than 350 local community groups, businesses and stakeholders. Consultations resulted in the inclusion of a large ground floor multi-function space with rehearsal areas above, available to host a wide range of cultural and community programmes. Food and beverage outlets will add further amenity throughout the lower levels of the building and provide space for enterprise partnerships with social and charitable organisations. Sounds tempting – if I was still working the City firms, I could use an office there! Project costs are estimated to be in the region of £750 million.
Palm House Restoration. Kew Gardens was founded in 1759 but can trace its history back to 1299. The Gardens are a major tourist attraction in western London, but its main purpose is scientific research carried out by the Royal Botanical Society. The gardens house the world’s largest collection of plants and fungi, with almost 30,000 living plant specimens alone.
More…
To read entire report, click here
How to cite this report: Shepherd, M. (2025). UK Project Management Roundup, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/pmwj155-Aug-2025-Shepherd-UK-Project-Management-Roundup-report.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Miles Shepherd
Salisbury, UK
Dr. Miles Shepherd is an executive editorial advisor and international correspondent for PM World Journal in the United Kingdom. He is also managing director for MS Projects Ltd, a consulting company supporting various UK and overseas Government agencies, nuclear industry organisations and other businesses. Miles has over 30 years’ experience on a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. His PM experience includes defence, major IT projects, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, nuclear security, rail and business projects for the UK Government and EU. His consulting work has taken him to Japan, Taiwan, USA and Russia. Past Chair and Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Miles is also past president and chair and a Fellow of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He was, for seven years, a Director for PMI’s Global Accreditation Centre and is immediate past Chair of the ISO committee developing new international standards for Project Management and for Program/Portfolio Management. He is currently Chairman of the British Standards Institute project management committee. He was involved in setting up APM’s team developing guidelines for project management oversight and governance. Miles is based in Salisbury, England and can be contacted at miles.shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk.
To view other works by Miles Shepherd, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/miles-shepherd/.
