BAM reaches major milestone at the Government Property Agency’s First Street Hub in Manchester
BAM reaches major milestone at the Government Property Agency’s First Street Hub in Manchester
Featuring outstanding green credentials, the nine-storey c.12,000 sq. m. office building – delivered by BAM, on behalf of Ask Real Estate – is on-track to be ready for internal fit-out by the end of the year.
Once complete, the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) new hub will be home to 2,600 civil servants, with more than 700 roles being relocated from London to Manchester. Forming part of the Government’s commitment to Levelling Up, it will become one of the largest hubs for cross-departmental collaboration and operation outside London.
To mark First Street Hub reaching its highest point, BAM has hosted a topping out ceremony together with representatives from the GPA, Ask Real Estate and PIC - the investor funding the hub’s construction.
The ceremony marks the beginning of the countdown to completion of the Grade A BREEAM Excellent office building, where The the First Street Hub is located, in the heart of Manchester, and just a few minutes’ walk from Oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations. It has been designed to be class-leading, meeting inclusive and accessible design standards.
Once complete, the hub will accommodate staff from a wide range of departments including the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), and the Department for Education (DfE).
Simon Atkinson, BAM Project Manager on the Plot 9a First Street development, commented:
“BAM has been delighted to build this exemplar development on First Street. The quality of our work shows how committed BAM is to providing eye-catching, sustainable structures that will be part of Manchester’s inner city fabric for generations to come.
“Our journey has led us to working collaboratively with all of the partners involved, whilst actively providing and sustaining local employment, investment in the Manchester economy and driving community initiatives which deliver social impact.”
“Our journey has led us to working collaboratively with all of the partners involved, whilst actively providing and sustaining local employment, investment in the Manchester economy and driving community initiatives which deliver social impact.”
John Hughes, Managing Director at Ask said:
“It’s fantastic to see this project taking shape now and to be celebrating such a significant milestone in its construction. We’re proud to be working with the GPA to deliver a project which will provide a boost to the economic growth of the area, and to witness the further expansion of the First Street neighbourhood establishing it as a business location of choice.”
Clive Anderson, the GPA’s Director of Capital Projects, said:
“The entire project team is making excellent progress and it’s fantastic to celebrate reaching this significant stage in the programme. This new state-of-the-art office will provide a home for civil servants from across the government, making it one of the largest hubs for cross-departmental collaboration and operation outside London. The GPA remains immensely proud of the industry-leading sustainability, accessibility and workplace standards delivered by the Government Hubs Programme.”
Lead developer Ask Real Estate and its joint venture partner, Richardson, secured a full pre-let of the Grade A BREEAM Excellent office building to the GPA, which then signed a lease with PIC, the building’s owners, in 2022.
This latest development forms part of the Government Hubs Programme supporting economic growth across the UK. The programme is rationalising the government’s estate in towns and cities across the UK, playing a pivotal role in delivering modern, customer-focused and varied workspaces for civil servants. The design recognises that different types of work require different spaces to enable collaboration, creativity and community regardless of how people choose to work.
