Posted on December 14, 2010 by John Cronin
Construction company Wates has been chosen as developer for the first phase of a multi-million pound office and leisure development scheme in Doncaster.
Muse Developments have chosen Wates for the construction of the new civic offices and a new theatre in the first phase of the £300m Waterdale scheme in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The large scale Waterdale scheme consists of a new public square, public buildings, new civic offices, housing and commercial office space.
The five-storey, 157,500 sq ft office building (pictured) will house most of the council’s town centre services on one central site and become home to approximately 1,400 council staff.
The new offices are being built on the site of the former Doncaster College. The council aims to free up existing office space that is deemed to be “old and tired” allowing for redevelopment in future phases of the Waterdale scheme. The possibility of various council partners letting floor space within the new civic offices is also being considered. The complete development, to be constructed in four phases, has an expected completion date of 2018. The council believes that the scheme will create inward investment of some £200m and generate demand from the private sector for speculatively built office space.
The new council office building is to be constructed using the latest energy saving technologies including such as natural ventilation and roof top planting for rainwater harvesting. Dan Needham of Muse Developments believes the new offices will be cost efficient. He says: “When complete the highly energy efficient building will save the council millions of pounds in running costs over future years.” A BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ is expected.
A start date for the construction of the commercial office space has not yet been made public. Architects for the scheme are Cartwright Pickard.
Posted in South Yorkshire |
Tagged Public Sector, Speculative Developments, Waterdale |
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Posted on December 13, 2010 by John Cronin
Outline plans for a multi-million pound mixed-use development in Stoke-on-Trent have finally been submitted.
The Central Business District regeneration project is an office led scheme that will transform a brown-field site in the centre of Stoke. When complete, the £180m development scheme will offer 750,000 sq ft of Grade A office floor space along with retail and residential accommodation, a hotel and new public spaces.
The developers Genr8 Developments, who were chosen as preferred developers in March 2009, have conducted a series of public consultations and have now submitted their outline plans for the scheme. The county council appears to be in favour of the scheme and planning permission seems likely.
In October Councillor Mervin Smith, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for city development & regeneration, said: “There is a need for good quality office space in the city centre. If we are to attract increased business investment then we need to make sure that we have an offer which is attractive.”
The development is be built in phases and construction works will take several years. A target completion date of 2017 has previously been suggested. The new scheme is to be built on the site of the demolished Unity House building. The multi-storey building was the tallest in Stoke-on-Trent before it was demolished in 2006. The 148,000 sq ft of floor space in the building was used as offices by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and also to some departments of Staffordshire County. However, due to claimed “sick building syndrome” Unity House stood empty for over 10 years and as it deteriorated it became unsafe and locals considered it an eyesore building.
Construction of the Central Business District was scheduled to start in 2010 but a start date of 2011 at the earliest is now expected.
Posted in Staffordshire |
Tagged Planning, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on December 13, 2010 by Rob Powell
The social media website, Twitter, has been looking at London office space according to news reports.
The Sunday Telegraph reported yesterday that executives from the San Francisco-based company were in London looking at potential locations for their new European Headquarters.
The West End and Old Street roundabout, commonly known as the Silicon Roundabout because of the community of tech firms nearby, have been talked up as the locations of most interest to Twitter bosses.
A spokesperson for the company told the Telegraph, “There were a few of us in London this week. We are considering London and other European locations to create an initial and small presence in 2011.”
The microblogging serviced has experienced phenomenal growth since it was launched in 2006 by founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone.
Posted in London |
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Posted on December 11, 2010 by Rob Powell
A huge new office development for investment bank, UBS, in the City of London has been submitted to local planners.
Developers British Land Company PLC and the Blackstone Group have jointly put forward the scheme at 5 Broadgate which would provide over 700,000 square feet of office space.
The 12 storey building, designed by Ken Shuttleworth at Make, would include four trading floors, each capable of accommodating 750 traders.
The developers say that the offices would use “photovoltaics” and solar thermal panels to generate low carbon energy, as well as “reducing water consumption by rainwater harvesting and increasing biodiversity through the incorporation of green roofs and terraces.”
Chris Grigg, Chief Executive of The British Land Company PLC, said: “It is vital that the City is able to meet the current and future needs of key occupiers for attractive, flexible and sustainable floorspace as financial services will be a major driver in the recovery of the UK economy from recession.”
Posted in London |
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Posted on December 10, 2010 by Rob Powell
SERVICED office provider, i2 Office, has appointed a new Executive Director.
Nick Wentworth-Stanley has joined the company having had a successful career within the Lloyds insurance market where he was CEO of Hampden Agencies Ltd, the largest members’ agency at Lloyds with premium income capacity in excess of £1.5 billion. He became CEO of the Hampden Group and remains a non-executive director of Hampden Capital plc.
Mr Wentworth-Stanley commented:
“i2 Office, under the leadership of Philip Grace, is an exciting company which is setting a new standard in the serviced office arena. A combination of the best Grade A buildings, cutting edge technology and a focus on first class service means that i2 Office is a natural choice for any company looking for quality offices on flexible terms.”
i2 Office was founded by Philip Grace and operates business centres in Milton Keynes, London and Glasgow.
Posted in Buckinghamshire, London |
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Posted on December 10, 2010 by John Cronin
A renovation and refurbishment programme has commenced on a large, mixed-use building in the heart of London.
Property developers Land Securities have started work on their office and retail building at 123 Victoria Street, SW1. This quickly follows the granting of planning permission that was only awarded a week ago by Westminster City Council.
The office block was constructed in the 1970’s and offers total floor space of 227,000 sq ft. There is 177,520 sq ft of office space and 45,370 sq ft of retail space on the ground floor. The offices were previously occupied by the Government until its lease expired earlier this year. The building (pictured) was previously referred to as Ashdown House.
The schedule of works includes complete replacement of all the glazing, a new roof and roof terraces, full interior fit-out and improvements to the neighbouring public spaces. The refurbished offices will be Grade A rated and available floor plates across the 13 floors will range from approximately 5,000 sq ft up to 35,000 sq ft.
The redevelopment of 123 Victoria Street follows on from other projects that Land Securities have undertaken in Victoria. The developer completed the Cardinal House mixed-use scheme in 2005 and plans to complete the 275,000 sq ft 62 Buckingham Gate office building by 2013. Robert Noel, Managing Director of Land Securities’ London Portfolio, said: “This is the next step in our master plan to regenerate this important destination in the heart of the capital”.
The £150m refurbishment programme is expected to be completed in late 2012. Architects for the project are Aukett Fitzroy Robinson. Indicative rental prices are not yet available.
Posted in London |
Tagged Planning, Renovations |
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Posted on December 9, 2010 by John Cronin
The first tenant has been secured at a new offices development in Worcester.
Ascendant Europe, a partner of global IT giant IBM, has agreed to let office space at the new Waterside development in the city centre. The Waterside is a mixed-use development by developers Berkeley Group, consisting of residential, commercial and office accommodation. Built on the site of the former Royal Worcester Porcelain premises, the development is adjacent to the Worcester and Birmingham canal.
The first phase of the Waterside offices development is now available within four buildings, three of which are refurbishments of existing factory buildings. The one new-build office is called Warmstry House and offers approximately 18,300 sq ft of high specification office space over three floors. The largest floor plate available is 6,810 sq ft on the second floor.
Ascendant Europe has signed for 3,560 sq ft of floor space in the converted Slip House (pictured), a two floor building offering 6,854 sq ft of open plan floor space. The offices are so-called because it is where the “slip” or liquid clay mixture used to make porcelain was made. The other two converted offices are the 5,472 sq ft Throwing House and the 4,788 sq ft Saggar House.
Henry Harrison from agents Knight Frank, said of the letting “Ascendant’s reasons for relocating their regional headquarters to The Waterside demonstrate the requirement for high quality office accommodation in Worcester”.
The quoted rental price for Slip House, Throwing House and Saggar House is £17.00 per sq ft and £17.50 per sq ft for floor space in Warmstry House. The buildings can be split as necessary and are available on either a freehold or leasehold basis.
Joint marketing agents are Knight Frank and Halls Commercial.
Posted in Worcestershire |
Tagged Renovations, Rental Prices, Speculative Developments, The Waterside |
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Posted on December 9, 2010 by Nell Frizzell
Britain’s most belligerent boss and the oldest mod to ever be seen leaving a lift is still on the search for a teasmaid. Or a photocopier. Or something. But in the fight to become The Apprentice, only the formidably stupid, aggressive and nasal survive. It’s week ten and somehow The Apprentice contestants have still failed to form a trade union.
In a modern communication miracle, the morning telephone call is answered by someone other than Stella. It is Hollyoaks Jamie who receives the happy news that they’re all due at Wandsworth bus garage. Is this a reminder or just how far Lord Sugarcoatednuts has come since his humble Hackney beginnings? You know, right down the Northern line.
Cue bewildering shots of Liz applying blusher to her neck (is there any situation in the world that calls for a bronzed neck?) and Chris desperately clasping an insufficiently small towel to his genitals. And so, to the garage. Forget bringing a gun to a knife fight, Lord Alanstrad has brought a Bentley to a bus garage.
“I’m giving you each an open top bus for the day,” honks Lord Sugarpuff. This is going to be the shittest re-make of Speed ever. Their job, if they chose to accept it (and it’s a miracle to me that they still do) is to start their own London tour company. Which I suspect will be a tiny bit harder for Northerners Liz and Joanna than for dyed-in-the-Thames Londonites Jamie and Stella. But hey, what’s the point of a level playing field if you are too stupid to stay vertical.
“I feel very passionate about the Cockney thing” says Stella, who proposes a tour packed with pearly kings and queens, jellied eels and rhyming slang. Or thermal tights, knock-off handbags and stray art students, seeing as they’re on Petticoat Lane.
Jamie, on the other hand, does an impression of a male model with a nasty case of Polio to illustrate his idea for a spooooky ghost and ghouls tour. Well, we all know how scary ghost stories are in broad daylight surrounded by traffic.
While scoping out the East End, Liz hones in on a jar of jellied eels like an Egyptian shark to a distracted swimmer. “You can now enjoy the smell of urine,” quips Stuart as they amble past the Whitechapel Gallery. Well… you know what those contemporary artists are like when it comes to continence.
So to the pricing. Stuart suggests £30-£40 for a walking tour of London. Which is approximately seven times the price of a one day travel card. Yes, that’s seven times more expensive than a ticket to anywhere in London. And you have to walk. Someone’s been sharpening their brain on a turnip again, haven’t they Stuart?
For Synergy, Monotone Christopher manages to broker the quite shockingly selfless deal that guarantees a tourist centre 20% of their total earnings. Yes, total earnings. That includes drinks, tips, everything.
Like beggars looking for cigarette butts and talking to automatic doors, Joanna and Jamie hustle strangers for money the the bus station. Sadly, the words ‘Sweeney Todd’ spoken in a French accent and ‘Buckingham Palace’ barked in a Mancunian twang are somehow lost in translation.
On the day of the task Team Apollo dress as up as a troupe of corporate tomatoes, replete with jaunty hats. Needless to say, Stuart illustrates perfectly the meaning of the phrase ‘straining at your buttons’. Synergy, meanwhile, go for a strong look I will coin ‘baggy stripper’ with matching navy nylon combos.
“The clock face of Big Ben is 20 diameters in width,” Jamie tells his bus of assembled tourists. Which is certainly news to Pythagoras. And to maths as a whole.
Meanwhile, Stella is giving her tourists a lovely tour of the building works, safety ramps and pneumatic drills of East London, while her Pearly King stares through glasses apparently made of paperweights. She then gets lost on Petticoat Lane. Perhaps because she’s looking for a mobile food van. Note the word ‘mobile.’ Probably not the best landmark to base your walking tour around. Still, if any of her tourists are looking for a cut-price Next suit or £1 plastic bangle they are in luck. And at least she’s got the world’s toothiest man to accompany her in a rousing chorus of Knees Up Mother Brown on the way home.
So, the task is over it’s back to the boardroom, where Karen and Nick both pretend to be consulting their notebooks, despite the fact that all that could possibly be written on those pads and files is ‘Change Sugar’s Bag’ and ‘Don’t Mention The Amstrad’.
In his summing up, Lord Sugarmort brings up the famous turf wars of Trafalgar Square. Did I say ‘turf’? What a laughable typo – mind you, this ‘f’ is terribly close to the letter ‘d’ isn’t it?
The final figures reveal that although Apollo managed to bag £834.30, Synergy leapt in to the lead with £1,099.33 profit, despite giving 20% of it away to an outside company.
So Jamie, Joanna and Chris are flying off to Jersey. Presumably to visit the billions of pounds of taxes not being paid to the British treasury. For Apollo it’s ‘gutting’ time in the café. Both Stella and Liz agree that Stuart is to blame. But will Lord Sugar agree? The answer, I’m afraid, is a painful one.
Despite the fact that Stuart didn’t have a price strategy, sold half as much as Liz and, lest we forget, has the face of a garlic naan and all the charm of bluetac, Lord Sugardaddy seems to be wavering. “I’ll make you so proud of me.” Stuart begs as he starts to unzip Alan’s trousers under the table. “I’m not a one trick pony, I’m a ten trick pony. I’m a field of ponies,” he goes on. Stuart, you are not a field of ponies. You are a white roll in human form.
So, it’s between Steady Stella, Fellatio Stuart and Unblinking Liz. Well, insanely, and in an absolute triumph of deluded male solidarity over sense, Lord Sugar chooses a sociopath over a salesperson. Liz, who Lord Sugarpuff admits has ‘consistently done well on sales throughout the process’ goes to the wall, while Tourettes Stuart goes home to wave his willy in the mirror.
Posted in Misc |
Tagged Apprentice Blog |
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Posted on December 8, 2010 by Rob Powell
The former offices of the Conservative Party in London’s Smith Square have been taken over by the European Commission.
Around 60 EU workers will be based in the offices which will also represent the European Parliament. The European Commission purchased the property, now renamed as Europe House, for £20million.
The building was home to the Conservative Party from 1958 until 2004 and it was from there that Margaret Thatcher’s three election victories were plotted.
She famously said “No! No! No!” to Europe leading the influential Conservative Home website to suggest the EU are “cocking a snook at Conservative eurosceptics by buying the former Tory HQ.”
Foreign Secretary, William Hague, who announced his resignation as party leader outside the building following the 2001 General Election, attended the opening of Europe House on Monday, prompting his opposite number, Yvette Cooper, to tease him in the House of Commons yesterday:
“Last night, he went back to Smith square, to the old Conservative central office. From the windows where once Margaret Thatcher waved on election night now waves a blue flag with yellow stars. Where once sat Tory party researchers working on the Bruges speech, there are now French, German and Italian officials. He was invited for the opening and renaming of central office as Europe House. It cannot be easy for him.”
The Conservative Party is now based at 30 Millbank – recently targetted by student protesters.
Posted in London |
Tagged Millbank |
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Posted on December 8, 2010 by John Cronin
A public-private sector office scheme in Sheffield is in the spotlight after failing to achieve planned rental income.
The New Deal for Communities body in Sheffield, known as Burngreave NDC, oversaw a project to redevelop an old office building once occupied by the Department for Social Security. Burngreave NDC spent some £4.5million converting the Sorby House building (pictured) into Grade A rated, high specification, flexible office space. The project was not expected to be profit making.
The refurbished office building was opened in 2007 with the aim of providing employment support and serviced offices for local residents and commercial floor space for businesses and third sector organisations to rent. The building offers office suites and hot-desking facilities over four floors, ranging in floor spaces from 145 sq ft up to 2532 sq ft. On site meeting room and conference facilities are also available.
The scheme faces an uncertain future however as low occupancy rates and demand from the commercial sector mean that the project is not currently financially viable according to reports, including an editorial column in The Star, a regional newspaper for South Yorks. New Deal for Communities projects are now required to put forward viable succession plans to the Government before March 2011 as central funding is scheduled to end and it was planned to turn Sorby House in to an independent, charitable trust.
However, Jeremy Diskin, executive asset manager at Burngreave NDC, has said “just 48 per cent of the building is occupied and it is not generating sufficient revenue to cover its running costs”. Burngreave NDC chair Ronnie Lewin said: “Unless we come up with a new business plan, we will have to transfer the asset back to the local authority.”
Burngreave NDC has already returned control of two other office buildings to Sheffield Council.
Posted in South Yorkshire |
Tagged Public Sector, Renovations, Serviced Offices |
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