As congestion in London increases, with rents being pushed to an all-time high and travel links improving many businesses are looking outside of central London for offices. Croydon is becoming increasingly popular destination for businesses to relocate to; for grade A space rents in the City are averaging £55 – 65 per square foot compared to just £20 in Croydon. If you don’t need the City address you would be mad not to relocate. Other emerging submarkets to keep your eye on are Stratford and Silvertown.

Once, the days of a workplace pet extended only to the ‘Blue Peter dog’, Shep – or perhaps Goldie, depending on your generation.  Even then, the presence of the animal brought a little something to the show – allowing children with no hope of owning their own pet an insight into the relationship between a dog and its owner. 

As availability in the Victoria area of the West End continues to be squeezed, an offer has been made by Threadneedle Investments for the building at 1 Neathouse Place, near Victoria station. The building is currently the headquarters of the global mining company BHP Billiton, with part of its 117,000 square feet of space also dedicated to retail, currently a branch of Argos. The main tenant accounts for 94% of the income from the building. 

The Leadenhall Building, more commonly known as the Cheesegrater, is one of London’s newest and most iconic buildings. Towering above London’s financial district, it is now 70% occupied, with British Property and Oxford Land leasing approximately 93,400 sq. ft. of the space. The diversity of tenants is testament to the unique selling points of the Cheesegrater; a globally recognised postcode can do wonders for business. RSHP, who are relocating from their current HQ in Hammersmith have signed a 15 year lease with a 10 year break.

Its half way through January and the office agency market in central London is about to get going after the long Christmas break. There is generally a positive outlook for 2015 with base rates expected to stay a consistent 0.5% for half the year (the lowest ever recorded) and continuing below 2% for the remaining 6 months. Oil prices are staying low, wage growth is anticipated and people will have more money to spend.

With high demand and lack of supply for housing, retail, and office space in London, everyone has an opinion on what should be developed on the Bishopsgate Goodsyard. The current development plan is for 1,464 homes, 594,000 sq. ft. of office space and 215,000 sq. ft. of retail space. This influx to the property market is much needed in this time of extremely low vacancy across the board. However, many are protesting due to the height of this development and it not being with style of surrounding developments. 

Research released by Colliers International indicates that prime office space in the capital is fast running out.  Despite other areas in London gaining popularity, there are many companies who only wish to base themselves in central London, so much so that demand is now 25% above the 15-year average. 

An office site in central London on Marylebone Road has been bought by the University of Westminster for approximately £25 million.  The sale was facilitated by VanHan, an agency that has formerly dealt with luxury residential properties, with the deal being the first commercial investment sale for the company. The company was involved in £120 million-worth of deals during 2014, including the sale of the Bulgari Hotel Penthouse in Knightbridge, at £39 million.