A new survey from the office provider Regus has revealed that 20% of office workers still commute for more than 90 minutes every day.
Although flexible working hours and an improved road infrastructure have cut the average commuting time down to 25 minutes, the research showed that 1 in 10 still travel for more than an hour on their way to and from work. The research was also conducted globally and the results painted a different picture in each country. The figures showed American office workers were the luckiest with an average commuting time of only 16 minutes, while Japanese workers who regularly rely on trains were the most likely to commute for more than 45 minutes.
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The commercial property law firm Fladgate has announced plans to relocate to new 
office space in Covent Garden.
The firm have signed a deal to take 41,750 sq ft over 5 floors at 16 Great Queen Street in WC2. As part of the relocation, the firm will move employees from their current offices in Mayfair to the newer, more modern commercial property in one of Central London‘s most illustrious areas. Fladgate say the move, which sees the company take on 10,000 extra sq ft of office space, was necessary to meet future growth and expansion plans. (more…)
Swansea‘s new Urban Village has received a significant boost in the form of £600,000 in funding from the Welsh Government.
The Welsh Assembly Government Strategic Regeneration Area programme will award the funds to the £7 million scheme, which has been designed to regenerate the High St area of the city centre. The Coastal Housing Group’s plan will include retail space, office space and creative space. There’s also the potential for community resources and a childcare facility at the site, which is part of a large regeneration programme which includes Swansea Railway Station. (more…)
Miller Developments has purchased a £1.5 million development site on Glasgow‘s waterfront in response to the city’s current office space shortage.
The company has bought 10 Anderston Quay – a 0.73 acre site – from Begbies Traynor, administrator to former owner Kenmore Broomielaw. The site has planning consent for two 14-storey office blocks, which will house 223,000 sq ft of space between them, but the site could have the potential to be used as a mixed-use development. The development company are hoping the new build could attract an influx of new tenants looking for Grade-A Glasgow office space in the next few years. (more…)
Hampshire County Council is celebrating after being singled out by the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) for its energy-efficient office space.
The council’s Elizabeth II Court building was praised by the board for using eco-friendly technology, such as natural cross ventilation, following a refurbishment programme earlier this year. The building was commended as an “award winning sustainable building”, which has made “huge energy savings” for the council. The building was also celebrated for its innovative use of recycling energy – heat from the council’s data centre “which would normally have been wasted” was used to heat the rest of the property. (more…)
Legal company HBJ Gately Wareing have announced plans to move to new office space in Manchester, following an expansion which saw them take on 200 new members of staff.
The company will move its operations from 3 Hardman Square to the newly-renovated Ship Canal House on King Street on 25th September. The new building consists of 31,000 square feet of space and will play host to the firm and its 200 new members of staff, who were acquired following the folding of Halliwells. The firm took the decision to move after it was agreed the current Halliwells location in Spinningfields was just too expensive to operate from. (more…)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed the London Media Centre, which is set to accommodate more than 25,000 journalists during London 2012.
Facilities are set to be installed at One Great George Street which is just off Parliament Square and a short walk away from some of the capital’s most famous landmarks. The conference centre will consist of 250 workspaces, a 200 seat press-conference room and live broadcasting facilities. It will also house additional space for photographers and other media professionals and will be accessible 24 hours a day. The Mayor hopes that the central facilities will help to showcase London in the best possible light. (more…)
Plans to sell the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London have been sensationally scrapped by owners Tower 42 Estate.
According to Property Week, the 600ft Tower 42 has been taken off the market, despite attracting a £300 million bid from Joseph Lau’s Chinese Estates Group. Moorfield and Gerald Ronson’s Heron International are also rumoured to have expressed interest in the office building, which was put on the market in April. Tower 42 Estate is made up of funds managed by Blackrock, Hermes Real Estate and LaSalle Investment Manager, who cited rising City rents as the reason behind the withdrawal. (more…)
According to Orchard Street Investment Management, plans have been announced by Mercer and Marsh to convert their existing operations into one office in Manchester. The expected location for their move is Belvedere House.
There are currently three different offices used by the companies in Manchester such as Clarence Street, City Road East and Booth Street but these will now be consolidated into one office.
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