Beehive is abuzz as insurer moves for Mutual benefit
Mar 31 2009 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette
BUSINESSES continue to make a bee line for Lingfield Point Business Park, despite a national decline in inquiries for office and warehouse space, which have dipped to their lowest levels in 11 years.
Latest newcomers to the Beehive development - a 5,229 sq ft space in which developers Marchday have created a virtually self-contained business community - are the local branch of the NFU and NFU Mutual insurance company.
Their arrival, on a ten-year lease, means phases one and two of The Beehive are now fully occupied. Seven staff have moved from the organisation’s town centre premises and two jobs will be created over the next month.
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), inquiries for the buying or letting of office buildings, shops and warehouses have reached the lowest levels since the organisation began surveying the market in 1998.
Of the chartered surveyors participating in the latest survey from RICS, 71% reported a fall in occupier demand in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to 53% in the third quarter of the year. This is the fifth consecutive quarterly decline.
Eddie Humphries, Lingfield Point estate manager said: “This is yet another endorsement of the flexible and contemporary office space we have created at Lingfield Point.
“The commercial property market sector is struggling but we are once again proving that an innovative approach to leasing and hands-on management and customer service pays dividends.
“Our commitment to cost-effective premises for a wide range of users and our simplified approach to leasing means that we are completely flexible in the terms we can offer occupiers.
“The success of The Beehive and The Studios has meant that we can bring The Wool Lofts and The Meadow to the market as the next phase of development.”
Becky Hall, NFU Mutual agent said: “We are extremely pleased to be in The Beehive, which is a contemporary building with access to the excellent facilities at Lingfield Point, including parking, on-site café and nursery and excellent transport links.
“Our new offices will allow us to grow the business in exceptional surroundings which have been designed specifically around our individual needs.”
NFU Mutual will be holding an Open Day at its Beehive offices for key customers and NFU members on Friday.
