Government signs for 38,000 sq ft hub at Two Smithfield

The Home Office has taken 38,000 sq ft of space at Two Smithfield in the city centre with hundreds of civil servants set to move to the building in the coming weeks.

The move to Two Smithfield is a temporary base, ahead of a move to a more permanent home in the city.

Smithfield is a development delivered in partnership between Genr8 and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the Smithfield scheme is currently home to the 140 bed Hilton Garden Inn hotel, 151 apartment Build-To-Rent Clayworks building, One and Two Smithfield 210,000 sq ft of grade A office accommodation and more recently the city’s premium flexible managed office and co-working venue, Smithfield Works.

Two Smithfield will house the Immigration & Visa Service department and will see around an initial 200 staff working in Stoke-on-Trent, rising to at least 500 in the next few years. The Home Office is continuing to recruit locally for further roles.

The relocation forms part of the government’s Places for Growth programme which aims to move 22,000 roles out of the capital, including 50% of UK-based senior civil service roles by 2030. Part of the strategy has already seen large departments take space across the North of England.

Joel Chandler, development manager at Genr8 Development’s, said: “The Home Office choosing Two Smithfield, Stoke-on-Trent as their temporary new home is fantastic news for our community which will bring over 160 additional jobs and local spend to the area.’’

“Two Smithfield is the perfect fit for Home Office with its accessible location and green credentials all in line with the Government’s sustainability drive.”

Cllr Abi Brown, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the Home Office to Stoke-on-Trent in a move which will bring hundreds of new jobs to the city and make the Home Office a major employer in Stoke-on-Trent.

“The addition of the Home Office will help to cement Smithfield as a key city centre gateway and attract more footfall to Hanley and the surrounding areas. Two Smithfield is a key location in the city centre and forms part of the wider Smithfield development which already supports thousands of jobs.”