Social housing provider Lincolnshire Housing Partnership has secured a new base in Grimsby.
Early next year the company will move to the vacant unit at Cartergate House, below and alongside the prominent town centre headquarters of leading regional law firm Wilkin Chapman.
It comes following the decision to surrender the lease at Westgate Park, as reported in June.
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Murray MacDonald, chief executive of Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, said: “We have recently launched our 2022-2027 Corporate Plan, Great Homes… Strong Communities, which outlines our commitment to a more sustainable future, and working more closely with our customers in their neighbourhoods.
“As an organisation we are embracing modern ways of working and providing our colleagues with both flexibility and the most appropriate facilities for them to undertake their role.”
The ground floor office suite is just under 5,000 sq ft, and has never been occupied since the building was completed in early 2017. It is a major reduction on the 23,000 sq ft that it occupied by the A180 entrance to the town.
North East Lincolnshire Council is the landlord, with LHP providing services for the local authority.
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Mr MacDonald said the organisation, formed by the merger of Shoreline and Boston Mayflower in 2018, has seen customers’ habits change, as well as moving away from the traditional habits of attending a local office, there have been calls for more ways to contact LHP through digital channels.
He added: “We work best when we are engaging with customers and other agencies to deliver housing solutions. Such engagements can work better in the community and, sometimes, in people’s homes.
“Having a large office with rows of desks is not particularly efficient and so we have taken the view that a smaller office base and increased technology and flexibility will enable us to invest further into the business.”
Prior to the Westgate Park move, Shoreline had been based in Devonshire House. The viability of the current base has been questioned since budget cuts hit in 2015, with the 15-year lease break providing the opportunity.
LHP has been advised by Scott’s Property. Managing partner, Lawrence Brown, said: “We worked with LHP to help shape and create their brief. The proposal is to fit out the premises in a modern staff-focused way rather than a straightforward corporate office.
“We undertook a wide search across the area and settled on Cartergate House as it met a number of criteria including flexibility of accommodation, proximity to other services together with sustainable issues such as public transport links and energy efficiency.”
Currently in a ‘shell state’ contractors will spend the next few months fitting out the premises, which fronts the junction of Chantry Lane and Cartergate. Westgate Park remains on the market with joint agents Clark Weightman and PPH.
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