Developer St. Modwen has been granted full planning permission for the first office scheme within the proposed Firepool development in Taunton.

Having received outline permission for the mixed-use Firepool development last September, St. Modwen are now able to start work on the first office building. Permission has been granted for a 21,950 sq ft office building that is expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

St. Modwen have already secured a pre-let agreement for the offices with renewable energy and waste management company, Viridor. Viridor are to relocate 100 staff to the new, headquarters style offices, with a target completion date of summer, 2012. Construction work is expected to start next month. The company has agreed to a 20-year lease but it is not disclosed if the quoted rental price of £17.50 / sq ft was achieved. Viridor are the first commercial tenants to sign-up for floor space within the Firepool scheme. It is reported that further office construction will only start when pre-lets are agreed.

Gareth Griffith, Estate Manager for Viridor, commented: “Moving to new head office accommodation is an important step in meeting the future needs of the business within a top-quality development.  It is part of our programme to upgrade support facilities throughout the UK, and follows recent moves into new regional offices in Kent and Taunton.”

Firepool is a joint venture between St. Modwen and Taunton Deane Borough Council and is the first phase of the redevelopment of Taunton town centre. When complete, Firepool will offer approximately 500,000 sq ft of offices along with residential accommodation and retail units.