The design team on the £150m Grand Union building was stood down by client Chelsfield before Christmas. And work on the £50m football centre near Burton upon Trent, which started in September, is due to be suspended this summer, halfway through construction.
Concerns over the Richard Rogers-designed Grand Union scheme emerged at the end of last year because of the downturn in the commercial market.
Insiders said the decision to delay the scheme was because Chelsfield had failed to find a tenant. There is now a surplus of commercial rented accommodation in London in the wake of the downturn in the stock market, which has led to large-scale retrenchment in the City.
Insiders on the National Football Centre scheme said the project would be suspended by the client, the Football Association, after completion of about £15m of enabling works.
One insider said: "Work will stop after the enabling works, which will be complete by May or June. The rest of the project will not be built out until it has the extra £35m."
Doubts first emerged over the football centre last autumn after the departure of FA chief executive Adam Crozier.
An FA spokesperson refused to comment on the project's future, but said that a decision would be made after an FA board meeting next Thursday.
"Work is continuing. I wouldn't comment on what people on the site are telling you."
The scheme was designed by BDP and was being built by Shepherd.
The Grand Union project has yet to receive planning permission – the project team includes QS Davis Langdon & Everest, project manager Mace and structural engineer Pell Frischmann. The suspension of the scheme will be a blow to contractor Laing O'Rourke, which was favourite to pick up the contract.
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