Oxford Council seeks flex partner

Oxford City Council has launched a search for a flexible office operator to run two council properties in the city. It is seeking a firm to provide flexible workspace at the 9,700 sq ft Standingford House on Cave Street and at its 5,000 sq ft 1-3 George Street property in the city centre. 1-3 George Street is a vacant building that the council had been planning to tear down but is now hoping to refurbish and bring back into use. Standingford House is currently let to 19 tenants but does not reach minimum energy efficiency standards so cannot be relet without significant upgrading. The council has recently secured almost £2m of funding from the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver new workspaces in the city and is keen to bring these two degrading assets back to life. It said the OxLEP funding would be used to bring forward affordable and accessible space through increased availability and by removing barriers for certain entrepreneurs in less well-funded sectors, such as creative, digital and social enterprise. “There is an imperative to move forward with both schemes given their condition and also the need to utilise OxLEP funding to deliver accessible workspace as part of the city’s economic recovery agenda,” said the council.   To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette