General, Development

Collaboration should play a crucial part in revitalising our city centres

Thomas Szymkiw, Head of Agency at NG, explains how by working together with landlords, tenants, and developers, we can transform city centres into vibrant live-work-play communities.

At NG, we’re dedicated to advising clients on ways they can capitalise on the transforming office market in the post-pandemic era. While demand for traditional office space has decreased, city centre office space is far from dead; it is simply evolving to meet the new needs and preferences brought about by the widespread adoption of hybrid work models and dynamic spaces.

Hybrid Work Models. The rise in the adoption of remote and hybrid work models has led many businesses to reassess their space requirements causing the overall demand for large office space to reduce.

The Popularity of Flexible Spaces. The growing preference for flexible, short-term leasing agreements has increased demand for coworking spaces and serviced offices that offer organisations the flexibility to scale up or down to accommodate the changing needs of their workforce.

Redesigning for Collaboration. Interiors of offices have undergone a dramatic transformation over the last decade meaning windowless, airless spaces with compartmentalised desks are now a thing of the past. Instead, activity-based workspaces have become more the norm. Offices are being reconfigured to include more collaborative and activity-based areas which support dynamic and flexible working environments.

Sustainable and Healthy Work Environments. There’s an increasing emphasis on creating sustainable and healthy work environments that include more wellness-focused designs such as improved air quality, comfort cooling, natural lighting, and touchless technologies. Standard features such as these are there to enhance employee well-being and productivity.

Encouraging a return to city centres. Take a walk through Nottingham city centre and you’ll notice a distinct lack of “suits on the street” as the hybrid working model takes full effect. So what strategies can be implemented to encourage a return to the once vibrant city centre workforce?

Live-work-play communities. East Midlands cities and respective landlords should be developing what was formerly known as mixed-use developments to become a live-work-play environment. Destinations that integrate a flexible workspace, residential communities, and recreational space to become ’one-stop-shop’ locations. 

Inspiration for Landlords to develop communities. Landlords and developers need to find a new source of inspiration to create spaces that meet the evolving demands of organisations and their employees. Designs should be innovative, collaborative and with a focus on wellbeing. Sustainable building practices and green technologies should be considered and incorporated.

A prime example is the ongoing development of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham. This 20-acre urban regeneration scheme aims to revitalise Nottingham’s city centre and create a ‘Green Heart’ public realm filled with nature and biodiversity. Developers and Landlords should be encouraged to take note of this project and align development plans to contribute to the ‘Green Heart’ vision and the merging Live-Work-Play community.

In conclusion. With increased vacancy rates in traditional office spaces leading to more attractive tenant-friendly lease terms, it is becoming essential that landlords invest in their portfolios. Simply standing still is no longer an option; proactive landlords who create flexible and dynamic workspaces will be the ones who succeed in this new landscape.

Revitalising city centres through the regeneration of urban areas for business purposes requires a large-scale collaborative effort involving central government, local councils, landlords, developers, tenants, and the support of the new Mayor of the East Midlands. Only through this collaborative approach can we create attractive city centres that revitalise our urban economies and continue to adapt to the evolving flow of work and life integration.

For more information on city centre office and commercial spaces, contact Head of Agency, Thomas Szymkiw on 07564 580300 or email thomas@ng-cs.com