Homes England signs for Newcastle office
Homes England has signed for circa 19,300 sq ft of office space at the Lumen in Newcastle, which is owned by Newcastle City Council, Newcastle University and Legal & General.
The government housing agency will relocate about 300 people from its current North East office in Gateshead into the city.
The move will enable Homes England to focus on several live developments in the region, including the 300-home build-to-rent scheme in East Quayside and the 1,250-home Newburn Riverside development.
Homes England has signed for circa 19,300 sq ft of office space at the Lumen in Newcastle, which is owned by Newcastle City Council, Newcastle University and Legal & General.
The government housing agency will relocate about 300 people from its current North East office in Gateshead into the city.
The move will enable Homes England to focus on several live developments in the region, including the 300-home build-to-rent scheme in East Quayside and the 1,250-home Newburn Riverside development.
Gordon Aitchison, director of investment and development at LGIM Real Assets, said: “The Lumen is an exceptional space, providing opportunity for collaboration with leading academics, researchers and business people. I am sure the site will be a fantastic new base for Homes England, helping to drive economic, social and housing growth in the north of England.”
Simon Dudley, interim chair at Homes England, said: “While moving back to an office-based work life may still be some time away, we are taking a long-term view and remain committed to investing in the North East and being a significant employer here. Moving to this larger, more collaborative office space will allow the agency to grow and ramp up our work in the North East.”
Homes England chief land and development officer Stephen Kinsella told EG last year that the agency was plotting to ramp up operations and expand into the regions.
He said that Homes England was looking to grow its national team to work from a network of regional offices to focus on opportunities in the south of England and the regions.
The news comes as several government agencies and quango bodies are reviewing their office footprint, with Covid-19 forcing many departments to cut costs as the pandemic continues to bite.
EG revealed that more than 13.2m sq ft in London could be under review, with more than half of this space rented in the west end according to Radius Data Exchange.
Major bodies including the Greater London Authority and NHS Property Services have set out plans to slim down their central London office space.
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