BT sign Birmingham’s largest ever single office letting
BT has announced the letting at Three Snowhill in Birmingham to create a 283,000 sq. ft regional facilities hub which will see up to 4,000 staff based at the building, the largest ever speculative office development outside London.
The deal, which marks the largest ever letting in a single building in the city, Graeme Paton, BT’s managing director of Property and Facilities Services, said “Three Snowhill was selected following an extensive review of all city centre options and will provide a dynamic and fit for purpose workplace for its staff”.
“BT will occupy the top 11 floors of this 17-storey building which, combined with a presence on the ground floor, provides branding, profile and fantastic arrival experience for both their visitors and employees.” marking a major investment by the company in the UK’s second city. He said: “Unveiling our new site at Three Snowhill follows our announcement last year, when Birmingham was revealed as one of the first locations that will house our workplaces of the future.
“The city was recently ranked one of the most rapidly improving places to work in Britain and, thanks to securing this office space, we will become one of the largest employers in Birmingham with a visible presence in a strategic and important location*.
BT has acquired the lease and plans to move staff in from the end of the year. The lease of Three Snowhill is part of BT’s ‘Better Workplace Programme’ – one of the largest workplace improvement and consolidation schemes of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
The five-year programme will improve and consolidate BT’s footprint of corporate offices, service centres, contact centres and specialist sites across the country.
Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “It is wonderful news that a company of BT’s stature has chosen to increase its presence in Birmingham by taking up a prime location in the heart of the city’s business district.”
“This is a further sign not only of Birmingham’s renaissance but also the growing confidence that exists within the city’s business community at present.”
The 17-storey building is one of three office buildings on the four-acre Snowhill Estate.