East London office hub announced as part of plans for a more modern Civil Service
The government is set to move around 5,700 full time civil and public servants from offices in Whitehall to East London.
The Cabinet Office has today announced the location of a new Government Hub at Canary Wharf, as the government prepares to move around 5,700 full time civil and public servants from offices in Whitehall to East London.
The government will take the whole building, owned by Canary Wharf Group, at 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, covering 50,354 sqm, on a 15 year lease (to end in 2032).
The move, which will be completed by the end of 2018, supports the modernisation of the Civil Service outlined by the new Workplace Plan on July 12.
The Government Property Unit, (GPU), as part of its remit to drive savings across the government estate, is overseeing the deal with Barclays for the new hub.
Government Hubs will benefit the public sector by ensuring the future workforce is where it needs to be. These multi-departmental offices will be in strategic locations with great public transport connections, local amenities and offering a modern working environment.
Relocating civil and public servants from existing, often fragmented office locations, to modern, cross-departmental workplaces will make the most of emerging working practices and technology is part of that drive.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Ben Gummer, said:
This new hub will provide a better working environment for many London-based Civil Servants at considerably less cost to the taxpayer.
We have some of the most talented people in the UK working in the Civil Service and it is right that we provide them with the right environment so that they can serve the public to the best of their abilities.
We will be replicating this approach across the United Kingdom, putting right the historic mistake of forcing public servants to work in ugly and expensive buildings.
The location of the East London Office Hub at Canary Wharf has been chosen due to its exceptional public transport connections to the rest of London and the UK, which will further be enhanced by the opening of Crossrail in 2018, along with its significantly lower cost comparative to other central London locations.
Richard Archer, Head of Leasing and Marketing at Canary Wharf Group plc said:
We look forward to the arrival of the East London Hub Office at Canary Wharf which will continue the diversification and increase the number of people already working here.
Further information
- The building will be subject to a 15 year lease on around 50,354 sqm.
- 10 South Colonnade is a 25 year old air conditioned office building in Canary Wharf. It is situated to the south west of the main tower and Canary Wharf Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station and is one of the original buildings constructed on the Canary Wharf estate. Office accommodation is spread over 11 floors with a mezzanine and basement and will be home to around 5,700 civil and public servants by the end of 2018, who will be relocated from Whitehall.
- An update on the government departments moving into the East London Office Hub will be given in due course.
- The Government Property Unit (GPU), part of the Cabinet Office, will transform the Government Estate to drive efficiencies for the taxpayer, boost the UK economy by freeing up much needed land and property, and provide a modern working environment for civil and public servants.
- The Government Property Unit (GPU) was advised by BNP Paribas Real Estate on suitable sites for the East London Office Hub, and 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, was found to be the most suited and cost effective.
- This deal is in line with the vast majority of large property deals in the UK. The lease payments on the new East London Office Hub will be taxable in the UK.