Property round-up: KPMG confirms One St Peter’s Square move; LIP’s Baird House fills up; and more

KPMG has formally announced its choice of Argent/GMPVF’s One St Peter’s Square development for its new 65,000 sq ft Manchester base, as revealed earlier this month.

The Big Four accountancy firm will take the top three floors of the 13-floor, 273,000 sq ft building, which will form part of a redeveloped St Peter’s Square that includes an upgraded Manchester Town Hall and Extension, a remodelled Central Library and a new public square and Metrolink terminal.

KPMG said that it plumped for One St Peter’s Square partly due to the city council’s wider aspirations for the area but also for its strong design, prominent location, proximity to public transport networks and its environmental credentials.

Jonathan Hurst, KPMG’s regional chairman for the North, said: “One St Peter’s Square will be a landmark building for Manchester, providing top quality space for our clients and staff, and a fitting location for KPMG in the city.”

David Partridge, joint chief executive of the scheme’s developer, Argent, said: “The team has worked hard to provide a development that would suit all of the requirements of a high profile, blue chip organisation like KPMG and we are confident that having the firm on board will attract other major occupiers to the scheme.

“This deal will mean that construction work on the 270,000 sq ft office building can commence, and will complete at the same time as the £185 million transformation of St Peter’s Square, the Library and the Town Hall, which is currently underway.”

Cllr Kieran Quinn, Chair of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, said: “This is a highly significant deal for St Peter’s Square and for Manchester as a whole.

“One St Peter’s Square has been designed to meet 21st Century requirements but also to complement its civic surroundings. The construction and development of the building will run alongside the refurbishment of the library, town hall and the Square itself, with completion towards the end of 2014.”

Knight Frank advised KPMG on the move and GVA advised Argent/GMPVF. GVA and Savills are joint agents on One St Peter’s Square.

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LIVERPOOL Innovation Park’s Baird House Business Centre is 100% occupied after a number of existing tenants have taken on extra space.

Game developer Spiral House, digital marketing agency e-blueprint and technology firm Crosby Systems have all taken new space within the building, which is set in set in landscaped grounds within the former Marconi headquarters site at Edge Lane.

The 330,000 sq ft building has three floors of refurbished office space that is currently home to 25 businesses. It offers 33,000 sq ft of refurbished office space over 3 floors and is currently home to 25 businesses.

Spiral House, creators of games for consoles, PCs and wireless platforms, has expanded its presence in the business centre by 30%, increasingly its office space from 782 sq ft to 1,021 sq ft.

Managing director Kevin Oxland said: “The business is going from strength to strength, making it the ideal time to move into larger offices. The park was so supportive of our plans and our new office was arranged within a day of our enquiry.”

Creative agency and online marketing specialists e-blueprint, formed in 2004, has also expanded form a series of hot desks into its own dedicated office, while Crosby Systems started in a 101 sq ft office and now has 700 sq ft of space.

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DTZ has let a unit at Sygnet Court in Warrington’s Centre Park development to science safety spacialist Underwriters Laboratories. The company has taken a 5,914 sq ft office unit on a five-year lease.

Simon Roddam from DTZ’s office agency in Manchester said: “This letting further aids the recovery of office take-up in Warrington, which totalled 136,000 sq ft in the first six months of 2011. Already, take-up has surpassed that achieved for the whole of 2010 in Warrington, which indicates clear signs of improvement in what has been a very difficult period.”

DTZ and joint agent BE Group acted on behalf of the landlord The Co-Operative Estates Group. Cushman & Wakefield acted on behalf of the tenant.