The competition in the office market in Manchester and Liverpool could hotten up even more with the news that there is to be a new £100 million investment in the train network between each city. The current journey time of 54 minutes minutes will be shortened to just 30. This will be a massive boost to the economy in the North West and will help the two cities enormously. It will make it easier for people to commute between the areas, allowing people to live and work in opposite cities and still be able to travel with greater ease, comfort and speed.
Just came across this video of a serviced office in Manchester. It gives you a mini-tour of the office which is on Fountain Street, with a voice commentary outlining the details of the building and the surrounding area. These kind of videos should really help the industry fill more offices, as they will get potential occupiers more interested in the location. This is also a great option if you do not have time to visit a location or you are geographically too far away. You can get a really good feel for the office from this video.
Spinningfields, the Manchester office development continues to go from strength to strength with the news that the General Medical Council is to take a further 10,000 sq ft of office space. The extra space at 3 Hardman Street comes on top of the 50,000 sq ft they confirmed they would let earlier in the year. Steve Jones from GMC commented that the additional space would result in tangible benefits for the NHS.
Mike Ingall the CEO of the owners Allied London said that this was another shining example of how Spinningfields could attract major tenancy deals. He said occupiers were attracted to the flexibility and the prestigious location in central Manchester. Spinningfields seems to have been somewhat “recession proof”, and has now become THE place to rent office space in Manchester. Now an established brand within the City, other schemes will look on with envy as they land major tenant after major tenant.
Property company Argent Group have agreed to sponsor the Band on the Wall venue in Manchester. The building is currently being renovated. The company said it was helping to invest in the city and had taken a keen interest in local culture and arts. Argent are currently building The Hive which is a new office block close to Stevenson Square that will be used by creative companies. There are eight more sponsors including Manchester Airport as well as The Gaeia Partnership.
Argent’s Angela Brown, said: “Band on the Wall’s return to the city will unite both culture and business. The new arts and social facilities mean that it won’t just be a place that music fans can enjoy during the evening, but where residents and businesses can go during the day too.” The building closed down in 2005 but will be re opened with studios as well as a social space that will be hosting local events. Inner City Music Ltd who own the building managed to raise £4 million from the Arts Council England. Band on the Wall’s development manager, Najia Bagi stated that it was pleasing to receive local financial backing from business despite the recession and the fact that the building has not re opened yet,
This week a major deal was confirmed in the Manchester office market. Greater Manchester Police will take 240,000 sq ft of office space at Central Park, as reported by PropertyWeek. This comes on the back of news that Manchester city council have chosen Number One First Street as the temporary home for over 1,800 staff and that Mayfield station could be turned into the “Whitehall of the North.”