Google is finally, officially starting work on its new $1.3 billion London HQ (GOOG, GOOGL)

Joe Borett, Google’s director of real estate & construction EMEA, Google & Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat, London mayor Sadiq Khan, and Google UK managing director Ronan Harris.Google

Better late than never.

Google is finally, officially starting work on its new British headquarters in London, years after it was first announced.

On Tuesday, Google held its official groundbreaking of the site, where it will build a “landscraper” designed by famous architect Thomas Heatherwick.

Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Google and its parent company Alphabet was in attendance, as was London mayor Sadiq Khan (who officially “broke ground”), and Google’s UK managing director Ronan Harris.

The completed building, along with the existing buildings on the site, will house 7,000 employees.

But it has taken a long time to get to this point.

It was originally announced back in 2013, and Google optimistically hoped to have it completed by 2016. But finalized plans were finally submitted to the council in June 2017 — an 11-story “landscraper” with huge open-plan office spaces and a running track, complete with a rooftop garden. Construction is now officially underway.

An artist’s rendering of how the complete office will look.Google

The complete office is expected to cost Google £1 billion ($1.3 billion).

Google’s London workforce is currently spread across several offices in Central London.

In a statement, Sadiq Khan said: “Google’s expansion at Kings Cross is great news for London and further cements the capital’s reputation as one of the world’s leading technology hubs. It is another clear sign that London is Open and remains entrepreneurial, international, and full of creativity and possibility.”