Highways England, the Government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving England’s motorways and A roads, has confirmed its relocation to Atlantic House, Warrington, a location which overlooks one of the busiest sections of the M6 in the UK.
The three-storey 20,562 sq ft office building at Birchwood, which has recently undergone a million-pound refurbishment, has been secured on a 10-year lease. Avison Young acted on behalf of the landlord, CEG, while Savills represented the tenant.
The deal enables Highways England to consolidate and develop a 240-strong team in the building by April 2019 to improve the management of the maintenance of the North West motorway network.
Rupert Barron, Director at Avison Young, said: “This is a strong letting for the Warrington market and we are delighted to have secured such a high caliber tenant for the property. The extensively refurbished building now benefits from air-conditioning, LED lighting, feature reception, cycle facilities and car charging points, as well as a fantastic location close to the motorway network. This deal illustrates the lack of good quality stock in the area and the requirement from occupiers for modern, open plan offices in easily accessible locations.”
Antonia Martin-Wright, Head of Investment – North at CEG, added: “We were confident that a comprehensive refurbishment to deliver contemporary office space would maximise the value of this asset and securing a customer with such a strong covenant is testament to that.
“Working closely with SpaceInvader, we have delivered a spacious and light-filled open space office environment with a reception befitting a new headquarters.”
Richard Lowe, Director at Savills said: “Highways England focused on Atlantic House following a comprehensive search for a first class building in an easily accessible motorway location. The building provides a fantastic modern working environment in a secure self-contained building and fulfils the initial brief set out by our client following on from previous North West acquisitions in Carlisle and Preston.”
