Construction has begun on new offices at the fast-growing Bridgehead business park which will open up an exciting new chapter for East Yorkshire-based Centrica Storage.
The company – the UK’s leading gas storage business – will move its operational support base from Hedon, East Yorkshire, to purpose-built new offices at Bridgehead, which it will lease from Hull-based regeneration leader Wykeland Group.
The new 20,000 sq ft, two-storey offices will take the total employed at Bridgehead, one of the UK’s greenest business parks, to almost 800 across the eight businesses based there. Developed by Wykeland, Bridgehead has rapidly become a bustling business hub, strategically located by the Humber Bridge and A63/M62 corridor.
Centrica Storage says the new building will herald a new era for the company, offering state-of-the-art accommodation for up to 200 people, shaped exactly to the requirements of the business now and into the future.
Founded in 2003 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centrica Plc, the parent company of British Gas, Centrica Storage has its roots in East Yorkshire going back more than 40 years.
The company operates the Rough reservoir under the seabed in the southern North Sea – the largest gas storage facility in the UK, supplying up to 10% of the UK’s peak daily gas demand. The company also operates two offshore platforms and a major gas processing terminal at Easington on the East Yorkshire coast.
Centrica Storage is relocating its operational support base because it has outgrown its current 10,000 sq ft offices at St Augustine’s Park in Hedon.
The offices at Bridgehead are being built by Hessle-based PDR Construction and are due to be complete by next summer with occupation in late 2017, following fit-out.
Centrica Storage Managing Director Greg McKenna said: “Centrica Storage is proud to have a long history in East Yorkshire and moving to these new, larger offices underlines our commitment to the region for years to come.
“We are looking forward to working in built-for-purpose office space, close to major transport links including the heliport at Humberside Airport which we use to travel to our offshore platforms.”
Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Wykeland, which was recently named Yorkshire Commercial Developer of the Year, said: “Centrica Storage is the latest blue chip business to choose to locate at Bridgehead, which is now well-established as a strategic location of choice for leading brands.
“Bridgehead is a thriving and fast-growing commercial community and is delivering the significant economic benefits we forecast during the planning and development phase. Bridgehead offers businesses a host of benefits, including state-of-the-art, purpose-designed offices, a prime location with great transport links and ultrafast broadband connectivity.
“It’s also a great place to work, with excellent accessibility and facilities, including a nursery on site, and set in lovely woodland featuring a nature trail developed in partnership with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
“We have a great deal of interest in further investments at Bridgehead and expect to announce more occupiers in early 2017.”
PDR Construction Managing Director Paul Dransfield said: “This is our fifth contract award on the site and represents 75,000 sq ft of standout design and construction at Bridgehead, working with the Wykeland team and their outstanding occupier line-up.
“The Centrica Storage award means PDR will have built almost 200,000 sq ft of new quality offices in the area over the past four years.”
The 50-acre Bridgehead business park has become a magnet for market-leading companies in a wide range of industry sectors. Over the past year laser firm Rofin-Sinar and graphics company SGS International have moved into purpose-built offices, joining Beal Homes, bathroom e-retailer Victoria Plum and the John Good Group. A new headquarters is also nearing completion for office technology business IT@Spectrum and telecoms specialist The One Point.
Construction work has also begun on a new Farmhouse Inn pub and restaurant adjacent to Bridgehead which will provide a complementary facility for staff and visitors to the business park. The development, by leading pub retailer and brewer Greene King, will create 75 jobs.
Ultimately, over 2,000 people will work at Bridgehead, which was developed with input from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to enable commerce and the environment to co-exist harmoniously.
