Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) is on the move to new city centre offices after signing up for space at Newcastle Helix.
The independent body, which is responsible for auditing government departments and government agencies, has announced it is moving into The Spark, taking 10,000sqft on the fourth floor of the prominent new £30m building. The NAO’s regional office is currently at St Nicholas Building, but it has signed a 10-year lease for the offices in a deal overseen by joint letting agents at Helix, Avison Young and Savills.
The 106,000sqft building The Spark has 12 floors of office space, and has been designed to meet the needs of new and established businesses, with collaborative spaces and large open floorplates. Last year transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson took occupation of 40,000sq ft within the building.
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Gareth Davies, controller and auditor general, NAO, said: “The National Audit Office (NAO) is proud to reaffirm its commitment to Newcastle and to increase our presence in the North of England. Our decision to move to the Spark has been made with a great emphasis on achieving value for money and underlines the importance of focusing on local growth, the subject of many NAO studies in recent years.”
The Spark and its neighbouring building The Lumen form the main offices based at the business and science hub Newcastle Helix, having been created through the partnership between Newcastle City Council, Legal & General and Newcastle University . The 24-acre site is fast bringing together industry leaders, businesses and top researchers into an internationally renowned innovation cluster.
Chris Shorrock, investment director, urban regeneration, at investment partner Legal and General Capital, said: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome the NAO to The Spark. Our goal with this investment was to help Newcastle keep thriving by providing high-quality workspaces in a central location that would attract businesses and organisations of this calibre. We look forward to welcoming even more new customers to The Spark and the rest of the Helix in the near future.”
Chris Hartnell, partner at national property consultants Carter Jonas LLP who advised NAO said: “We are delighted to have acted on behalf of NAO securing the 4th floor in The Spark comprising 10,000sq ft. The brand-new office which forms part of the exciting Newcastle Helix provides best in class workspace enabling our clients to improve the quality and efficiency of the space they occupy.”
Tony Wordsworth, director at Avison Young, added: “High profile companies have been attracted to Newcastle Helix which has set new high standards for office space in Newcastle.”
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