Practical completion for Manchester civil service hub

Contractor BAM has handed over the 130,000 sq ft building at First Street to the Government Property Agency ahead of fit-out.

Works on the £105m nine-storey facility were brought to practical completion by BAM Construct UK, appointed by developer Ask Real Estate.

Ask and its joint venture partner, Richardson, secured a full pre-let of the BREEAM Excellent office building to the GPA, which then signed a lease with building owners Pension Insurance Corporation in 2022.

Once complete the hub will accommodate around 2,600 civil servants from departments including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade, OFSTED, and the Department for Education.

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It is expected that more than 150 roles will be relocated to Manchester from across several different government departments and agencies once the hub is operational.

The building forms part of the Government Hubs Programme, rationalising the government’s estate in towns and cities across the UK. The Darlington Economic Campus and a hub at York Central are also key GPA projects, while Manchester is also to see a digital-led campus brought forward at the Central Retail Park site in Ancoats.

Parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office, Georgia Gould, said: “It’s great to see the Manchester First Street Hub move onto this next stage of construction.

“UK Government Hubs across the country help to consolidate our estate. Not only cutting waste by removing old inefficient buildings from our portfolio, but also giving people across the country the chance to work in the Civil Service, and driving economic growth in the local area.”

Georgina Dunn, the GPA’s interim director of capital projects, said: “It’s very gratifying to reach this significant stage in the programme. This new state-of-the-art office will provide a home for civil servants from across the government in Manchester, 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.”

A competitive tender process for the subsequent fit-out works, has completed with the GPA due to make an announcement in the next few weeks.

Ask managing director John Hughes said: “Bringing the GPA hub to practical completion is a huge testament to our commitment to driving sustainability in the workplace sector. By achieving a NABERS 5.5 Design for Performance rating  the first building in Manchester City Centre to reach this milestone – supports the high ambitions set by HM Government.

“First Street and its extended neighbourhood will be boosted significantly when the GPA takes occupation.”

The development was forward-funded by PIC, a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension funds, which will use the secure, long-dated and index-linked cashflows to pay the pensions of its policyholders over the coming decades.

James Agar, head of real estate origination at PIC, added: “The First Street hub is a great example of what can be achieved through public private partnerships.

“The sustainability and ESG focus of this best-in-class building are clear to see, these were a key element of our investment case for the asset which will help us to pay the pensions of our policy holders.

“The building deepens our relationship with the GPA and will assist the UK Government in delivering the transition to Net Zero. We look forward to the GPA taking formal occupation of the building and welcoming more than 2,500 civil servants to the site.”