Construction of ‘transformational’ Grade A office space to create up to 300 jobs
The first phase of the 276,000 sq ft Unity Square will be “transformational” for the Southside area of Nottingham, according to the developer behind the scheme, and will create up to 300 jobs in the construction phase.
Earlier this month, HMRC confirmed Unity Square as its East Midlands hub and said it will bring around 4,300 workers to the completed office buildings in 2021.
Speaking to TheBusinessDesk.com at a public consultation held on Carrington Street yesterday, Nick Sladen of Sladen Estates said: “What we’ll acheve with Unity Square is a transformational building. Nottingham has not had a Grade A office space of this size and quality before. What’s more, because it’s been funded by Legal & General, Nottingham will have established itself as an institutional location.”
Peveril Securities and Sladen Estates purchased Unity Square in 2015 and demolished the derelict car park buildings last year. Nick Sladen confirmed to us that contractors Bowmer & Kirkland would start work on the site, opposite Nottingham railway station, in March next year and would hand over to HMRC for fit-out once the build is completed, which will take another six to nine months.
The second phase of Unity Square is still uncertain, however, with Nick Sladen saying he “doesn’t know” when that will happen, but that it is “linked to the success” of Phase 1.
He added: “HMRC could easily have taken their East Midlands hub elsewhere – to Derby or Leicester – but the high quality of this scheme means they signed a 25-year lease to bring these jobs to Nottingham. To regenerate this side of Nottingham this scheme simply had to happen.”
