Ministry of Justice to create flagship office in NOMA neighbourhood

Redfern in NOMA

The Ministry of Justice is to take all 25,000 sq ft of self-contained office space at Redfern, in the NOMA district of Manchester city centre, on a 15-year lease.

The government department has chosen Redfern as a new flagship office for its National Probation Service, which brings together functions offered from a number of different locations into a new city centre hub offering a broad range of services in a high quality working environment that focuses on staff and client wellbeing.

Under plans approved by Manchester City Council in 2019, the Grade II-listed former warehouse and commercial building has been repurposed and comprehensively refurbished to create contemporary office workspace on the upper six floors.

There is an additional 7,727 sq ft of self-contained retail and leisure space on the ground floor and mezzanine floors, which, when occupied, will add yet another dimension to the mix and vibrancy of Sadler’s Yard, Manchester’s newest public square.

Sheppard Robson was project architect and Russell WBHO the main contractor.

The Ministry of Justice will join a thriving community of businesses, social enterprises and other organisations at NOMA, with occupiers including Amazon, Deloitte, The Co-op and WeWork. Some 6,000 people live and work in NOMA, generating £380m GVA annually.

NOMA is being delivered by the international business of Federated Hermes, a global investment manager acting on behalf of an institutional investor. MEPC, which Federated Hermes recently acquired, is the development and asset manager.

Stephen Bradley, director – investment management at Federated Hermes, said: “The Ministry of Justice’s decision to launch its flagship hub model at NOMA is a major vote of confidence in the neighbourhood and reflects the time, money and creativity that have been invested in bringing our vision to life.

“NOMA’s appeal to high calibre tenants such as Amazon, Deloitte and the Ministry of Justice underlines the quality of the developments we have created, as illustrated by the successful repositioning of Redfern as a modern workspace, and also the value of the broader offer we have achieved through the provision of community amenities such as Sadler’s Yard.

“Our approach to Responsible Property Investment is present in everything we do, which is why we’ve actively sought to create an inclusive neighbourhood that places people at its heart, making NOMA a place for collaboration and creativity, while enhancing user wellbeing, in the years to come.”

Chris Edwards, regional probation director, Ministry of Justice said: “As we continue to move forward with the reform of probation services, we are excited to move in to a new flagship property within the NOMA neighbourhood. This offers the opportunity to unify probation services in Manchester and will provide a modern working environment for our teams.”

In total, NOMA will provide 2.5 million sq ft of both new-build and renovated office space at various price points, situated alongside new homes and public realm as well as retail and leisure opportunities.

Construction is currently under way at 4 Angel Square, a speculative office development that will provide 200,000 sq ft of commercial space and be operationally net zero carbon in line with the UK Green Building Council’s framework.

Workman undertakes property and estate management across NOMA. Colliers and JLL are retained office agents. Lyons Thompson Letts and Colliers are retained retail and leisure agents.

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