Social housing provider calls time on prominent town HQ
THE 15-YEAR LEASE COMES TO AN END IN 2023 AND WILL NOT BE RENEWED
AGATEWAY office development in Grimsby has hit the market after Lincolnshire Housing Partnership called time on Westgate Park. The social housing provider is to vacate its prominent three-storey headquarters next year.
Built in 2008, it was the biggest single-build office development in a generation.
The 15-year lease is coming to an end, and with modern flexible working practices it has been deemed excessive.
As far back as 2015 the long-term future there was questioned, as squeezes on budgets were felt from central government.
Since then, what was Shoreline – formed in 2005 to manage former council housing stock – merged with Boston Mayflower, prompting the launch of the new entity.
That 2018 union along the Lincolnshire coastline brought the management of more than 12,500 homes together, with offices in Boston also retained.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, said: “LHP currently leases the office at Westgate Park. This lease ends in 2023 and we have begun to look for alternative arrangements for our office base in the Grimsby area.
“LHP employs an agile working policy that encourages colleagues to work more closely with customers in our communities, which we will continue to do moving forward.
“Grimsby remains a central point for all our homes in North East Lincolnshire and we will maintain an office base in Grimsby to be close to both customers and partners.”
Westgate Park, moved in to from Devonshire House in the town centre, initially welcomed almost 200 staff across the 23,000sq ft of space.
Looking over the A180 entrance to Grimsby, across the dual carriageway from Alexandra Dock, and is accessed from Charlton Street.
A new neighbour is automotive logistics specialist GBA, having taken over a former builders’ merchants site.
It also features workshop facilities for the maintenance of properties – all of which is being vacated.
Developed by Belgrave Land, and sold to a private investment company a few years back,
Clark Weightman and PPH Commercial have been instructed.
Carl Bradley, director of the former, said: “Lincolnshire Housing Partnership has given notice that it is coming out of the site, and is actively looking for alternative premises in Grimsby.
“It has given us the opportunity to put the site on the market, jointly with PPH, and we are looking for an occupier or occupiers for a landmark gateway office building.
“It is a big slice of the office market, available in one fell swoop, and it may well appeal to someone in older, more dated facilities.”