MoD MAIN BUILDING
Two floors are empty – amounting to around 89,000 sq ft – at the 800,000 sq ft Ministry of Defence Main Building. Much else is understood to be under-utilised. An MoD statement says: “The MoD is
reviewing, in conjunction with the Government Property Unit, opportunities for other MoD units and government departments to move into Main Building.” As well as the Main Building, the MoD has had burdensome commitments at St George’s Court, Bloomsbury. The 172,000 sq ft building, which has been empty since March 2012, was sublet to the MoD until 2022 at a rent of £7.2m. There is a tenant-only break in 2017. It now seems a deal to end the lease
early has been agreed with the landlord, London & Regional. Neither party was prepared to comment.
NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE
The Northern Ireland Office has shrunk its Whitehall office presence from 33,300 sq ft to just 5,000 sq ft, and saved itself £900,000 pa in the process.
The NIO had been sharing the Security
Service’s office at Millbank, but following a deal agreed this month is now in a new cosy home-share with the Cabinet Office at 1 Horse Guards Road.
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
The 66,000 sq ft Department for Transport would have fitted neatly on the seventh floor of the Ministry of Defence Main Building in Whitehall, but the move now seems unlikely. The move is believed to have been
vetoed by senior military figures on security grounds. A DfT spokesperson said: “We have
taken steps towards reducing the department’s estate by terminating leases on three central London buildings in the last two years, saving around £8m a year. “In common with other government
departments, we keep our estate under review, but no firm conclusions
have yet been reached.” EG understands that the Government
Property Unit is now considering options. The Department for Transport spent
£3.99m on its 66,335 sq ft office estate in the first quarter of 2012-13.
DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
DCLG
Leading the crackdown on town hall waste, the Department for Communities and Local Government wants to set a good example. Between July 2011 and July 2012 (the
most recent figures available), DCLG shed 98,500 sq ft of unrequired floorspace. Its quarterly occupational cost fell from £7.1m to £4.2m, and the cost per member of staff plunged from £4,186 to £2,976.
13 April 2013
The Department for International Development moved from 173,000 sq ft at 1 Palace Street to 22 Whitehall, a government freehold, saving as much as £62.5m in rent and rates in the period to 2020. The lease at 1 Palace Road was
due to run to 2021. The rent was around £24 per sq ft. The space at 22 Whitehall
was released by the Cabinet Office. Breaking the lease on its space at Delek Global’s 1 Palace Street is said to have cost millions, but still leaves the department with net gains.
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