Bruntwood secures first pre-let at The Exchange

Bruntwood has exchanged contracts on the first pre-let at The Exchange on Manchester's New York Street, with 10,400 sq ft taken by Turning Point, the social care organisation.

The dominant office developer-investor is currently spending £6m redeveloping the former telephone exchange. When it opens in February, The Exchange will offer 41,257 sq ft of office space over five floors, with a new glazed extension entrance that fronts onto Bruntwood's £1.3m public realm work on New York Street.

Lee Treanor, development surveyor at Bruntwood, said: "When it's finished in 2008, The Exchange will provide them and other customers at the building, with a quality office space that comes with some unique benefits, including floor to ceiling heights of 3.6m."

Turning Point will occupy the first floor with a number of head office functions. The basement of the building will continue to function as a telephone exchange, with the remaining five floors being converted into office space.

Despite its contemporary design, the building was originally constructed during the Cold War, as a hub for the city's underground telephone exchange, which was created at a cost of £4m to preserve essential communications links should the centre of Manchester come under attack from an atomic bomb.

Andrew Timms at Edwards & Co and Chris Lloyd, DTZ, are acting on behalf of Bruntwood with WHR Property Consultants representing Turning Point.