Friargate’s new tenants named
FINANCIAL OMBUDSMAN SERVICE MOVES FROM LONDON AND BRINGS 320 JOBS
THE identity of a major organisation which will bring 320 jobs to the council’s flagship Friargate development has been revealed.
The Financial Ombudsman Service, currently based in London, has agreed a ten-year lease with Coventry City Council.
The organisation is expected to complete its move to tower one at the site by the end of the year.
Two floors will be taken up in the glass-fronted building which will house Coventry City Council at the £100million project around Coventry Railway Station.
It means the council, who had planned to occupy the entire building, will not relocate some of the staff it had planned to into the building.
The service will take approximately 22,500 square feet and will be moving into the building from October.
This will result in the council retaining its offices at Broadgate House in the city centre for about 300 staff.
The FOS will share the ground floor reception with the council.
News of the new tenant comes after RICS, previously the only other private tenant for the site, recently announced it was pulling out of the project and would move its existing Coventry base – and its 250 staff – to Birmingham.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, said: “This is very positive news that the Financial Ombudsman Service has decided to locate its new office in Coventry.
“Not only were the Financial Ombudsman Service impressed with the location, right next to the station with a regular and fast service to London, they also see real potential for their business be based here and we were able to beat off other areas in an open process. We’ve always been clear that if the right partner came along, we would be happy to restructure our move, to encourage investment and job creation here in the city.
“This has all happened really quickly – in fact it’s all been sorted in under a month. The Financial Ombudsman Service clearly believes that Friargate can work for them – and I believe that having another business located there will help to sell the opportunities to other businesses.
“We are keen to ensure that our city continues to attract and retain big name employers, creating quality jobs for local people and contributing to the success of the wider region. We believe having the Financial Ombudsman Service at Friargate will send a really important message to other potential business partners.”