EC Harris expands in Piccadilly Place

Do they really need this space or are they going to have an aerobics and yoga area? All the Cristal people will be gone probably next year/year after the directors ‘lock in’ and work absorbed by ECH. Shocking location – never should have left the Exchange where they could get to property clients and be in the hustle bustle. Cant remember who made the great decision to move………… he’s moved on too!!!

With the location being close to the station and not quite out of reach of the city centre, it seemed an ideal place to be – saying that there isnt really much around there.

Try working there Manc Lass its dire!

I worked in GMPTE across the road, it is a terrible area………nice offices though.

Not quite out of the city centre Manc Lass? Are you a cross country runner? By the time you have walked through a few dodgy areas – most obviously down the bad bit of market street, been hassled by the beggars and people drinking in piccadily gardens you still have a walk! Sorry I disagree! Plus they no longer have an offering in Liverpool city Centre – so unlikely they will get as many jobs in Liverpool. But hey ho – they can buy some more companies out who have work on.

Scott – your description of the journey is all relative. If you’re coming from the east, not the west as you seem to have described, then its fine. Its arguably a lot more accessible than places like Spinningfields, due it its proximity to Piccadilly – and if you’re going from Piccadilly to elsewhere, you’d still have to walk down “the bad bit of Market Street” that you mention!

Obviously that bit of town isn’t as nice as some other areas, but its hardly terrible!

Would have to agree with manclass: “not quite out of reach” of the city centre.

Think about the poor fools working in their M15 “city centre” offices at First Street…

But what if you werent going to Piccadilly and what if you are a client going to see other property professionals (perhaps round where most of them are located in the centre) and got off at Victoria/came by car and cant be bothered going up there. Or what if you work at EC Harris and there is a property networking lunch on in the city centre – your not going to do it in an hour or so are you – so you would need to have an understanding boss at EC Harris…………..what if you dont have an understanding boss ….. looks like you’re not going – erm not that this has actually happened and all details are scenarios…..

What happens if you are working late? Not the best place to be leaving at night (trusting you are not going to the station) Parking isnt cheap around there and is in some dodgy areas if you cant afford to pay the prices of the nicer car parks. A lot of people were unhappy with the move.

As said before, they should have stayed at Royal Exchange rather than pander to the occasional visitors from their London office.

I still don’t understand what goes on there that you wouldn’t get elsewhere in town.

I’ve recently moved from into a nice city centre-fringe office (First Street), and plenty of people whinged about that. I think its emblematic of moves in general that some people will moan!

A lot of the people with Arup who’ve recently moved in there from Oxford Road are really happy with the place. Not dodgy at all.

Understand the "agglomeration" benefits of being based near other relevant firms. I just take issue with calling the area "dodgy" – I pass through there all the time, its really not that bad!

Yeah but you could be as hard as nails Scouseboi?

Maybe its people like me making the area seem dodgy

Scott, you make it sound like you are walking through a minefield, I have walked up and down Market Street many times, at all times of day/night (from living in Ancoats) and its not as bad as you describe. I would say its about a 10min walk (in heels I add) from Piccadilly Place to Primark, hardly a troop march and I am sure you dont need to be a cross country runner to walk it in that time!

I suppose if Primark is your destination then you will be fine and happy. It wasnt mine. I was just trying to say that the old office in the Royal Exchange was much more central to the property base -as echoed by a lot of the partners and staff at ECH and a lot of them werent happy, that it was only really convenient for those arriving to Piccadilly (ie staff from other offices), that I personally found it dodgy as did some of the other staff and we were hassled walking down market street ( you are obviously a fast mover in those heels)that its not easy to park around there (if you are going out to site and coming back) and expensive to park and if working late its not nice around there, that there is little offering re lunch/food or other property professionals around there. As previously commented if there is networking events at lunchtime its not normally up at Piccadilly or you want to nip to town (not Primark) for something then lunch time is gone!

Reading your comments again about walking up and down in heels at all times of day and night sounds a bit dodgy. What exactly were you doing?

Interestingly enough someone was wounded in Piccadilly gardens this week – a turf drug war. But as you say its not dangerous….. Oh and my friend ( a female solicitor) was groped by a vagrant when cutting through there. Nice place