Ombudsman Services — the Government agency which arbitrates disputes within the communications, energy, property and copyright licensing industries — has signed a 55,000sq ft deal on its new Cheshire headquarters.
The body will be moving the four-and-a-half miles from its current Wilderspool Business Park offices on the outskirts of Warrington to its new home within Building 3300 at Daresbury Park next to junction 11 of the M56. Commercial services firm CBRE advised on reassigning a 12-year lease from the Dutch insurance and asset management company Aegon.
“It’s been a successful few years for Ombudsman Services and as a result we’re delighted to be able to grow the business so substantially,” explained Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith. “Our expansion to Daresbury Park is the latest step in our journey and we are pleased to have secured modern accommodation that meets our growing needs in Warrington.”
His agency will initially occupy just 28,300sq ft of the Daresbury Park building with the remainder sub-let to American-headquartered visualisation software company Appsense. Other existing occupiers at Daresbury Park include the automotive technology company ABB, Babcock International the support service provider, and computer giant Hewlett Packard. The four-star Daresbury Park Hotel also occupies part of the site.
“While we operate across the UK, we’re very proud of our heritage and roots in Warrington, having been here since our creation in 2002, so it is very important for us and all of our staff to remain in the area,” added Shand Smith. “Last year we helped a growing number of consumers resolve their complaints, so increasing our workforce means that we can help many more, whilst also directly supporting the local economy.”
Mark Worthington is the office agency director at CBRE Liverpool. “After a short but intensive search of both existing and Design & Build opportunities within the Warrington area, Building 3300 at Daresbury Park was the stand-out option for a number of reasons,” he said. “Despite being 12-years-old, it is a high quality, contemporary building situated on one of the best business parks in the region, plus we were able to secure a very competitive deal from Aegon and the head landlord.”
The Ombudsman Services deal is one of the biggest of the year in the North West and is expected to be followed by a second significant signing. A three-way joint venture between Mace, Areva and Atkins has been named as the preferred bidder for a nuclear waste facility and has instructed Lambert Smith Hampton to search for a 50,000sq ft office in the Birchwood area.
