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Firefighters tackle blaze at empty Croydon office block

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DOZENS of firefighters were called out this morning to tackle a blaze at an empty office building in the Addiscombe area of Croydon.

London Fire Brigade had the fire under control at Rees House just over an hour after they were called out today at 06.01.

Crews from Woodside, Croydon, Norbury and Beckenham fire stations all attended the scene.

Part of the ground floor of six storey office property was damaged in the fire although there were no reports of any injuries.

Rees House in Morland Road was previously home to local Social Services but has been empty for several years.

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50 hot air balloons pictured over Canary Wharf

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LONDON saw a stunning fleet of hot air balloons fill the morning sky early on Sunday morning.

It was the second edition of the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon regatta with almost 50 of the craft taking part.

The hot air balloons lifted off from south London before gliding across the river just after sunrise and then passing the Canary Wharf office buildings in the photo above.

Early risers and those coming home late were treated to the spectacle which drifted into east London and Essex before coming down down at about 6.30.

The charity initiative raises funds and awareness for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

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Manulife Asset Management to move to new European headquarters

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Manulife Asset Management has announced plans for further European expansion which will include new headquarters in the Square Mile.

The fast growing company has doubled its presence in London over the past 18 months to almost 40 employees and it plans to significantly increase its headcount over the next year.

Currently based in St Swithin’s Lane, the investment management arm of Manulife Financial Corporation will be moving to a new 15,000 sq ft European Headquarters at 1 London Wall in the City of London – the Fosters & Partners-designed office building opposite the Museum of London.

Kai Sotorp, Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Asset Management, commented:
“We are a growing business with exciting investment capabilities across a broad range of traditional asset classes, multi assets and private markets investments. We have been building our European investment teams and client base over the years and we are excited to be able to make further commitments to our clients and this important market.”

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Royal Dutch Shell to close offices in Reading, Aberdeen and Manchester

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SHELL is to close three major offices at sites across the UK, it has been announced.

The offices being shut down by Royal Dutch Shell are at Thames Valley Park in Reading, Albyn Place in Aberdeen and Brabazon House in Manchester.

The Reading offices had been the headquarters of BG Group until the company was taken over by Royal Dutch Shell in a $49 billion deal that was approved in January.

The Reading and Aberdeen offices are expected to be closed by the of this year, reports the Guardian, with the Manchester office closing by the end of 2017.

1,600 employees are based at the three sites affected by the announcement. Voluntary redundancy is to be offered to employees unable to move to new locations.

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Funding agreed for first Brunel Place office building in Slough

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A PLANNED 99,000 sq ft office building in Slough has taken a step forward after a new funding package was announced.

Developer U+I has announced that real estate investment advisor Ashby Capital has agreed to fund the scheme at 2 Brunel Place.

The office building will be the first of three striking properties at the currently-derelict Brunel Place site in Slough town centre where 350,000 sq ft of new office space should eventually be delivered.

Peter Ferrari, Chief Executive of AshbyCapital, said:

“Slough is an established destination for businesses with major occupiers including O2, LG, HTC, McAfee, Fiat, Honda, Reckitt Benckiser, Akzo Nobel, Mars and Black & Decker. As such, with the arrival of Crossrail in 2018 it will be the first major office centre outside Central London on the line.

“Increased demand for high-quality buildings in good value locations with fast access to central London is already improving the popularity of Slough, and this will be helped further by the arrival of Crossrail and an extensive regeneration programme that is transforming the town centre. Brunel Place is a first-rate building in a prime location and will benefit from these changing market dynamics.”

Ruth Bagley, Chief Executive of Slough Borough Council, commented: “We welcome the start of work on site and look forward to seeing the building finished and occupied.”

It is expected that 2 Brunel Place will be completed in 2018.

Elsewhere on offices.org.uk: Search for office space in Slough

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London to lose over 1 million sq metres of office space

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LONDON will lose over a million square metres of office space as a result of planning changes introduced by the Government, claim Labour London Assembly members.

Data from the London Development Database shows that between May 2013 and March 2015 there were over 2,800 proposals to convert office space in to residential property under the permitted development rights.

The 2000 applications already approved represent a loss office space to residential which is the equivalent of 153 football pitches.

The Department for Communities and Local Government introduced temporary Permitted Development rights in 2013 which allows offices to be converted to homes without planning permission.

In 2015, those temporary rights were made permanent, with Housing Minister Brandon Lewis commenting: “[the] measures will mean we can tap into the potential of underused buildings to offer new homes for first-time buyers and families long into the future, breathing new life into neighbourhoods and at the same time protecting our precious green belt.”

Back in 2013, GLA Planner John Lett warned that the relaxation placed four million square metres of office space at risk.

Commenting on the new research, Labour’s London Assembly Planning Spokesperson, Nicky Gavron AM, said:

“Seeing businesses turfed out of offices and other employment spaces across the capital will do nothing to help London’s economy. Nor will allowing developers to ride roughshod over planning standards solve London’s housing crisis.

“Yes, we need to solve the housing crisis but this isn’t the way to do it. What this policy does is rob local communities of an opportunity to deliver the developments suitable to their neighbourhoods and result in tiny sub-standard housing which fails to serve the needs of Londoners.”

Related: Find London Office Space

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Barclays to offer unused space to entrepreneurs and community groups

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UNDER-utilised spaces in the offices and branches of Barclays to be made available to local businesses and communities.

The Eagle Labs initiative will see the space made available to customers and non-customers to help boost the UK’s digital and ‘maker’ skills, the bank says.

Incubator spaces are aimed at entrepreneurs and high growth firms projecting 20% growth to allow them to collaborate and receive mentoring from Barclays industry experts.

‘Maker’ spaces will give people access to tools like 3D printers and laser cutters as well as training sessions.

Barclays is opening its third Eagle Lab this week in Brighton following successful pilots in Bournemouth and Cambridge. The bank says aims to have opened up to 20 such sites by the end of this year.

Ashok Vaswani, CEO of Barclays UK, commented: “Bankers have traditionally been at the heart of the community, supporting people with their finances, and helping local businesses to grow. Our Eagle Labs initiative is reaffirming that core community role by enabling people to embrace new and emerging technology. We are passionate about helping individuals build digital skills and confidence which is key to helping the UK to thrive in this digital age. The roll out of Eagle Labs is a natural extension of our work to support this aim through our Digital Eagles, Tea & Teach and coding sessions.”

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The digital economy is moving at a tremendous pace – digital industries are growing at a rate of 32 per cent faster than the wider economy, and contribute around £161bn a year for the UK. The need for digital skills has never been greater, and Barclays Eagle Labs is a fantastic initiative that offers incredibly helpful guidance, support and advice to local communities and businesses.”

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i2Office expands portfolio in Cavendish Square

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CAVENDISH Square in London’s West End is to be the home of i2Office’s 30th business centre, the serviced office provider has announced.

The fast-growing company has leased 11,000 sq ft of office space in the Grade-A 19-storey office tower at 33 Cavendish Square owned by Lancer Property Asset Management.

The new business centre – i2Office’s 17th in the capital – follows soon after a new centre opening in St James’s Square in November.

Chris Dodd, Managing Director at i2Office commented:

“33 Cavendish Square is a welcome addition to our expanding portfolio of London locations.  The market is growing rapidly and we’re seeing strong customer demand for accommodation from a wide range of occupier types and sizes, each with a strong desire to embrace the high quality solution that we provide. In keeping with our entire portfolio, this new centre provides us with a Grade A facility that is adaptable to meet larger corporate requirements as well as those of small to medium sized enterprises.”

Elsewhere on offices.org.uk: Find Marylebone serviced offices

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Co-working space in old temperance hospital officially opens

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A NEW co-working space which has been developed in the former National Temperance Hospital in London is being officially opened today.

The scheme from the Camden Collective has been realised in the former Insull wing of the art deco hospital on Hampstead Road.

The hospital itself was built in the 1870s with the William Binnie-designed Insull Memorial Wing added in the 1930s after a $160,000 donation from Samuel Insull.

Now branded as the Collective Temperance Hospital, the project offers three floors of workspace with free hot desking facilities, meeting rooms and subsidised individual offices for startups in the creative industries.

The new facility, which has received funding from the Mayor of London, boasts cycle parking, wifi, boardrooms, lockers, 24 hour access and communal kitchen areas.

Elsewhere on offices.org.uk: Search for London office space

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Land Securities announces 62 Buckingham Gate is fully let

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A LANDMARK office building in London’s Victoria has achieved 100% occupancy.

Land Securities has announced the latest tenant at 62 Buckingham Gate which means the property is now fully let.

IT consulting company Ciber UK has signed a 10 year lease for the remaining 10,700 sq ft of office space at the building designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

Existing office tenants at 11-storey 62 Buckingham Gate, which completed in 2013, include Mediobanca, WorldRemit and Chime Communications.

Kaela Fenn-Smith, Head of Commercial at Land Securities, said: “We are really pleased that Ciber UK Ltd has chosen Victoria for its business location and we welcome them to 62 Buckingham Gate. We are delighted the building is fully let and Ciber adds another dimension to the variety of businesses in the building.”

62 Buckingham Gate is a mixed use development with 259,700 sq ft of office space and 15,600 sq ft of retail units at the ground and upper basement floors.

Also on offices.org.uk: Search for office space to let in Victoria

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