The home of office news and serviced office listings

What the Dickens! Fire at author’s old offices

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

OFFICES in London that were once used by famed author Charles Dickens were hit by fire last week.

The London Fire Brigade were called out to a small electrical fire at a cafe in Wellington Street in Covent Garden.

It was from these offices that Dickens published his weekly magazine All The Year Round and kept private apartments from 1859 to the year of his death in 1870.

See the heritage Blue Plaque that marks the property in Wellington Street, London.

The property now houses a cafe on the ground floor with residential flats above.

Two fire engines and 10 fire fighters tackled the small fire in which there was no injuries.

Posted in London | Leave a comment

Plans for City’s new tallest building unveiled

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

PROPOSALS for a mega-skyscraper in the City of London at 1 Undershaft have been unveiled.

The huge 73-storey tower would be 309 metres tall – the same height as the iconic Shard on the other side of the Thames. The building would trump the 278-metre tall 22 Bishopsgate development approved by planners last month.

Designs for the tower have gone display today at a public exhibition at the Bishopsgate Institute.

Nicknamed the Trellis, the new tower would have a public viewing gallery at the top and a new public square at the bottom. It would replace 118-metre tall St Helen’s Tower which was built at the site in the late 1960s.

The architect behind the Aroland Holdings-backed scheme is Eric Parry, responsible for other projects in the City including 10 Paternoster Square, 10 Fenchurch Avenue and 60 Threadneedle Street.

Parry commented, “1 Undershaft will create more of the quality office space that is desperately needed in the capital and will reconnect the city’s tall building cluster with the public.

“This building will set new standards for the City in terms of comfort, quality, environmental sustainability and putting the public at the heart of the tower.”

Final plans for 1 Undershaft will be submitted to the City of London Corporate for planning approbal next year.

Search for serviced office space in London

Posted in London | Leave a comment

New office space in Shoreditch given green light

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

A BRAND new building offering over 120,000 sq ft of office space in London’s Shoreditch has been approved by local councillors.

Members of Hackney Council’s Planning Sub-Committee this week gave the green light to the proposals for the scheme at 201-207 Shoreditch High Street and 1 Fairchild Street.

The property is at the southern end of the “Shoreditch Triangle”, close to the London Borough of Hackney’s borders with Tower Hamlets and the City of London.

In addition to the creative office and co-working space, a 200-key hotel is planned with a skylounge at the top of the 106 metre tall building.

Developers HG Europe and Folgate Estates are behind the thirty-storey building, designed by architects Gensler The site, which was previously home to a theatre and cinema destroyed by a WWII bomb, is currently occupied by a wine merchants and a sauna.

Search for office space in Shoreditch

Posted in London | Leave a comment

City of London’s tallest skyscraper yet gets go-ahead

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

PLANNING permission has been granted for the tallest skyscraper yet in the City of London.

The City’s Planning and Transportation Committee gave the green light on Wednesday morning for the 62-storey development at 22 Bishopsgate.

2,033,034 sq feet of office space will be created at the scheme with retail units at the ground level and a restaurant, bar and public viewing gallery at the top.

The decision to grant planning permission comes three years after construction was halted on the Pinnacle project at the same site. Earlier this year a consortium led by AXA Real Estate purchased the site and a redesign by PLP architects was submitted to planners.

At 278 metres tall, the new 22 Bishopsgate will be over 40 metres taller than the Heron Tower, the current tallest building in the City. It will also be taller than One Canada Square in Canary Wharf and second only to the Shard, which stands at over 300 metres tall on the other side of the Thames by London Bridge.

Speaking after the committee’s decision, the City’s Chief Planning Officer Annie Hampson said: “This is a substantial high quality tower. 22 Bishopsgate exemplifies many of the qualities we are looking for in our landmark buildings – it is elegant, calm, and open to the public. A viewing gallery at the top will provide for workers, visitors, residents with the opportunity to look out over the City free of charge.

“Tall buildings in the City’s Eastern Cluster near transport hubs are an effective way of creating the increase in office space and employment needed for a growing London.”

Search for office space in the City of London

Posted in London | Leave a comment

Fireworks mark Barnsley office demolition

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

FIREWORKS were launched into the sky yesterday to mark the beginning of the end for the council’s old offices.

Built in the 1970s for what was then South Yorkshire Council Council, the office building is now being demolished in the first phase of a £100 million town centre revamp called Better Barnsley.

Councillor Roy Miller commented to the BBC: “This is the first major part of the demolition. We’ve been taking out some of the insides for some weeks now but now we’re going to actually start demolition.”

The demolition of the council offices is due to take eight weeks and then a temporary market structure will be erected in its place before a new market square is developed by 2019.

Also on Offices.org.uk: Search for office space in Barnsley

Posted in South Yorkshire | Leave a comment

Firefighters tackle blaze at Old Street office building

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

SMOKE billowed in to the sky this morning as a fire broke out at an office building in Old Street, London.

Almost 60 firefighters and eight appliances from London Fire Brigade tackled the blaze at 148 Old Street which was previously the headquarters of Royal Mail.

26 calls were made to 999 as the fire took hold on five levels of the six storey, 1970s-built office building which is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment.

London Fire Brigade Station Manager Gareth Cook commented: “Crews worked hard to contain this blaze and to stop it from spreading. The main fire was concentrated around the building’s central lift shaft. This created a chimney effect, which is why smoke could be seen for miles around during the early stages of the incident.”

The 97,807 sq. ft office building was acquired in 2013 by Great Ropemaker Partnership – a joint venture between Great Portland Estates plc and The BP Pension Fund. Planning permission was given earlier this year to refurbish the property and add two new levels of office space.

In another incident today, businesses were evacuated after a WWII bomb was found by construction workers on a site at the junction of Commercial and Brushfield Streets near Spitalfields.

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

Posted in London | Leave a comment

Zig Zag Building in Victoria now 77% pre-let

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

DEUTSCHE Bank are to let 92,000 sq ft across six floors in Land Securities’ new Zig Zag Building in London’s Victoria.

The announcement that the bank’s Asset Management and Private Wealth Management units will move to the Patrick Lynch-designed development from their current base in the City of London means that the Zig Zag Building is now 77% pre-let.

Announcing DB’s 15-year lease agreement, Kaela Fenn-Smith, Head of Commercial at Land Securities, said: “We are thrilled that Deutsche Bank has chosen to move its Asset Management and Private Wealth Management units to Victoria. Deutsche Bank’s decision is testament to our product and our transformation of Victoria.

“Our significant and carefully curated development programme has created a sought-after destination for businesses looking for not just the very best office space tailored to their specific needs, but also vibrant surroundings with quality hotels, restaurants and shops. Open outdoor spaces both in and around our buildings as well as within London’s finest Royal Parks add to the appeal of Victoria for employees and clients alike.

“This letting to a leading global bank is just the latest example of how Victoria is becoming the location of choice for financial services businesses who want to be closer to their customers.”

Other firms that have already signed deals for space in the new building, which is one of two to replace the former Kingsgate House on Victoria Street, include Jupiter Asset Management, Mediobanca and Egon Zehnder.

Related: Search for serviced office space in London Victoria

Posted in London | Leave a comment

Nurton Developments acquires two West Midlands office buildings

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

BIRMINGHAM-based developer Nurton has completed the purchase of two office buildings in the West Midlands for £9million.

In a joint venture with a private investor, Nurton has acquired 24,000 sq ft Aspect Court in Temple Row in the heart of Birmingham.

The second office building the developer has snapped up is 50,000 sq ft Wireless House at Warwick Technology Park, part of which is let to management consultants Accenture.

Rupert Young, Development Director at Nurton, commented: “We’ve been looking at opportunities for a while and are extremely pleased to have secured these two off-market deals.

“Birmingham is riding on the crest of a wave at the moment and, with dwindling grade A stock in the city, there is strong investor appetite which makes it even more pleasing that both buildings have been acquired for what we consider to be the right price.”

Search offices.org.uk for office space in Birmingham

Posted in West Midlands | Leave a comment

New names and refurbishment for two Liverpool office buildings

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

TWO office buildings in Liverpool city centre are to be refurbished and renamed by developer Palladium Group.

The company purchased period property Stanley Hall and adjoining Nations House for £2.7million in August from Moorfield. Together, the properties provide 40,603 sq ft of office space in Liverpool’s business district.

Palladium Group have announced plans to refurbish both properties and rename Stanley Hall as Honeycomb and Nations House as Helix.

Spencer Bourne, chairman of Palladium Group, said: “We are delighted with how well our first venture in Liverpool is progressing and are building on the successful model of Honeycomb Chester, which is already two-thirds let.

“The programme of works at Honeycomb and Helix will transform the buildings into contemporary offices with a broad range of occupier facilities.”

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

Posted in Merseyside | Leave a comment

British Land lets another floor at Marble Arch House

Posted on by Offices.org.uk

DEVELOPER British Land has announced the letting of the first floor of Marble Arch House in London’s West End to Cirrus Logic.

The Texas-based provider of analogue and digital signal processing equipment will join existing tenants at the building which include Fulcrum Asset Management, GTECH and BXR Partners LLP.

The seven storey office building in Seymour Street, overlooking Hyde Park, was redeveloped by British Land after purchasing it from Portman Estates in 2011. Designed by Bennetts Associates Architects, Marble Arch House has 61,200 sq ft of office space with 15,000 sq ft of retail space.

James Danby, Head of Office Leasing at British Land, said: “Marble Arch House provides high quality office space and is located in the heart of the West End. It has successfully attracted a diverse mix of companies, and we are very pleased to have secured another high calibre occupier in Cirrus Logic.”

Related: Search for available office space in London

Posted in London | Leave a comment

Newer posts → ← Older posts

Welcome to Offices.org.uk - We're dedicated to bringing you the latest news from the office and commercial property sector and listings of serviced offices available to rent.