GPA signs for two more hubs

The government has signed leases for offices in Birmingham and Peterborough as part of its hubs programme. Platform 21 will be the government’s new hub in Birmingham, while Fletton Quays will be its Peterborough hub. The Government Property Agency signed a 15-year lease with LaSalle Investment Management for over 110,000 sq at Platform 21, in the former Woolworths building. The hub will be open from 2021 and will house 1,700 civil servants over nine floors from departments including the Department for Public Health England and the Consumer Council for Water. Meanwhile, LGIM Real Assets has announced it has acquired the GPA’s Peterborough office at Fletton Quay. The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs will occupy 86,000 sq ft at Fletton Quays. Departments including the Environment Agency, Passport Agency, Joint Nature Conservation, and Natural England will reside there. See also: Inside L&G’s drive to back government hubs Steven Boyd, chief executive of the GPA, which is responsible for the hubs programme, said: “The programme creates strong regional centres where civil servants can build their careers in state-of-the-art shared workspaces, enabling efficient, collaborative and flexible working, driving engagement and improving staff productivity and wellbeing. “This will reduce operating costs for the government as we dispose of unnecessary office space and streamline our estate.” To send feedback, e-mail lucy.alderson@egi.co.uk or tweet @LucyAJourno or @estatesgazette