Chartered Surveyor Banks Long & Co has leased a landmark Lincoln building to an NHS Trust, following a major revamp costing over £1 million.
The Lincoln-based firm is celebrating one of its biggest deals over the past year, with the handing over of Beech House in Waterside South to the Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS).
The Trust, which employs about 2,500 people – who care for thousands of patients every day in community hospitals, health clinics, schools, children’s centres and in patients’ own homes – has taken 25,000 sq ft of space over three floors.
Beech House, which has 10 meeting rooms and 140 car parking spaces, is now LCHS’s headquarters, following the relocation of staff from Bridge House, in Lions Way in Sleaford.
Other employees are also in the process of moving in from three other centres and the move is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Banks Long & Co has leased the building on behalf of its owner Investors in Lincoln, which contracted North Hykeham-based Lindum Construction to carry out an extensive refurbishment programme to tailor Beech House to LCHS’s requirements.
LCHS Chief Executive Andrew Morgan said: “Unfortunately, the building in Sleaford no longer met our needs. Overall, the relocation of staff from there to Lincoln is part of a major consolidation exercise.
“The move involves 270 staff from Bridge House, Sleaford; Welton House and Greetwell Place in Lincoln and administrative staff from the John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough coming together in one building. It is designed to improve working efficiencies.”
Banks Long & Co Director William Wall said: “We are pleased to have structured such a vital deal, which has enabled so many key NHS jobs to relocate back to Lincoln.
“It marks the third letting of over 25,000 sq ft of office space that we have concluded in the city this year.
“These transactions and other ongoing disposals and acquisitions of landmark buildings, highlight the increase in activity as Lincoln grows in prominence as a regional centre.”
The build project was managed by Banks Long & Co Director Simon Bridge.
Investors in Lincoln Chief Executive David Rossington said: “Clearly Beech House is a major asset. Renting it out provides an income which allows us to do other things.
“No money goes back into our member companies, but letting the building out like this creates a resource which we can use in other ways. For instance, we are just starting to look at the city’s Park Ward with the City of Lincoln Council, to see what we can do by helping to regenerate that area.
“When the Lincolnshire Training & Enterprise Council (Lincolnshire TEC) moved to Beech House in the early 1990s, it did so partly to try and revitalise an area which had traditionally been the economic hub of engineering in the city.
“In a way LCHS is giving this area the same vote of confidence as we did back then.”
Lindum Construction Managing Director Simon Gregory said the revamp had been carried out in two phases, with the first completed in September and the second on time, ready for the handover.
“It is always good to work with local partners in delivering a successful solution for the benefit of the end users and clients.
“We are a local construction company, which is owned by its employees and which employs local contractors, so it has been particularly rewarding to be able to use our skills and expertise to reinstate such a prominent building in the city.
“Historically, it started out as part of Lincoln’s “Titanic” engineering works, before being brought back into use as modern office facilities. As many of its existing features as possible were retained during the sympathetic renovation and refurbishment work,” added Mr Gregory.
