Cash-strapped Brent Council is advertising some 19,309 square feet of space at the Brent Civic Centre at £32.50 a square foot to realise a planned income of £680k in 2024-25. If the Council fail to let the space it will mean further cuts.
At the same time the Council is reviewing existing commercial contracts. Earlier this year Cabinet approved a £2m remodelling claiming it would improve 'customer experience' and also make the building more attractive to commercial tenants.
The planned lets include the first floor restaurant space that closed during the pandemic and has since been used by voluntary organisations as a commnity kitchen.
The space has been freed up via a 'restack' operation that moves existing staff around to maximise space for letting out.
As well as seeking commercial companies the Council is also looking at letting to a 'flex-operator', an organisation that lets flexible space to start ups and other small companies. LINK
Delegated authority is being sought to enter into new leases with the following:
· A new lease at an agreed market rent with the Valuation Office Agency
(VOA to relocate from the 8th Floor North to the 8th Floor West that was
recently vacated by Air France.
· A new lease at an agreed market rent with the Old Oak and Park Royal
Development Corporation for their current demise on the 1st Floor West - or
a suitable alternative space.
· A new lease at an agreed market rent with the NHS to co-locate them with
Brent’s Adult Social Care and Health department on the 2nd Floor.
· A new lease at an agreed market rent with Warren Bakery who occupy a
retail unit on the ground floor.
· Any other existing tenants as appropriate in line with the re-stack project
and any new prospective tenants seeking space within the Civic Centre
I am not sure about the status of Starbucks which is not mentioned in the Cabinet Report.
This is the brochure already available to potential clients:
9 comments:
Built 10 years ago, and touted as the answer to Brent Council's prayers, it would house 2,400 staff and offer the residents a fully integrated service.... look how far they've come.
Brent Council now employ less than a 1,000 staff, the place is a soul less, cold, unwelcoming, depressing environment. Miserable Reception staff, hard pressed to crack a smile, over zealous Security Staff who rush to give any visitor their advice on what is and not allowed. Redundant Restaurant. Car Park is always full. On a plus, the toilets always clean, probably because the rest of the building is full of s**t.
Bankrupt Bent and they are still borrowing like it's going out of fashion. How much do they owe now? £1.5 Billion yet? Perhaps they could borrow some more to extend unnecessary primary schools? Do we need more secondary schools while the school kid population is decreasing in Brent. They could even borrow to build yet more flats that the people of Brent can't afford.
Is the 2,400 down to less than 1,000 council staff figure correct?
Outsourcing all expertise and responsibility away to become what, a ghost/ shell council?
Explains the un-plan and green un-mapping at pace of so much of Brent's shared public common wealth which in massive population growth zones should be strongest protected.
Brent Brownfield Register 2023 anyone, its April already.
Going into direct competition with Quintains Office Space to let at the HIVE, which last time I looked is far from full, no doubt due to the expense, are Brent Leases competitively priced?
Looks expensive to me at over £40 sq mtr!
My suggestion would be to let to Community Groups on a peppercorn rent, many are now finding it really difficult to find space to operate. This would really help Residents of Brent and go some way to improve their credibility and integrity going forward when it comes to election time.
They should stop spending our Council Tax on paying Consultants to dream up ways of trying to fool us that they really care what we think, and then ignoring the suggestions and massaging the results to what they want, pretending that's what we wanted!
Sick and tired, couldn't care less anymore.
Did this stop the councillors from refusing to take a pay rise!?
LOL
Agree 100%
True
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