First look at plans for 20,000 sq ft building society HQ
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society’s new head office is taking shape in Hinckley’s former Magistrates Court building.
Work has begun to remodel the Upper Bond Street building’s interior to be the new home for more than 100 staff. A further planning application has been submitted to build a separate entrance for the new branch being created for customers within the HQ.
Demolition of parts of the courts has included removing the cells once used to accommodate defendants. During the first few months of 2019 the Society’s staff will move the few hundred metres down the street from the existing head office it has outgrown.
With almost 20,000 sq ft of floorspace, the new HQ is a third bigger than the existing one.
The head office staff has doubled in size since 2010 and they will work in a more modern environment, with open plan offices, meeting and training suites, informal breakout areas and a refreshments area – all being created by office design company Oktra.
Andrew Payton, deputy chief executive at Hinckley & Rugby, said: “With demolition work already complete, the exciting prospect of moving into our new HQ building is getting closer and we anticipate the modern environment will improve the way we work together every day.
“Many similarly sized building societies have relocated to the edge of or outside the towns they were founded in. We’re very pleased we will continue to be based in a prominent position in Hinckley’s town centre at the heart of one of the key communities we serve.”
Sean Espinasse, design director at Oktra North, said: “The idea is to create an engaging environment for the Hinckley & Rugby team and for anyone coming through the front doors – a space that fully supports the activities of its workers and adds a vibrancy and charm.”
