Insider Media Limited

Nottingham’s supply of secondary office stock is a “major issue” facing the city. That was the message from Mike Taylor, director of regeneration at Nottingham Regeneration, at Insider’s latest breakfast event. Taylor said: “There is a vast supply of secondary office space in Nottingham at the moment, much of which has no viable use.”

Taylor was on the panel for Insider’s ‘Sustainable Workplace’ breakfast event at the City Gate East offices, which was attended by about 70 professionals from across the East Midlands.

Taylor said: “The secondary office stock in Nottingham a major issue facing the city. It’s a matter of what can be done to these buildings. We’re working with agents and the technical side of the property industry to put a case forward as to how these buildings can be put to more profitable use.”

It was put to Taylor that some of the empty secondary office space could be used as student accommodation, as King Sturge highlighted recently in inaugural 'Property Predictions' event in Nottingham.

He replied: “How many more student beds can this city take? I think we worked out that we have over 1 million sq ft of secondary office space within the city. It can’t all be taken up by student accommodation.”

Grade C office space could also prove a problem for Nottingham’s planning and redevelopment chiefs. At the Invest in 'Nottingham Commercial Office Market Review 2010' event in January, Taylor said that grade C property made up 13 per cent of the total Nottingham office stock, but that this level of office space could be used for student accommodation.

“We need more flexible thinking in the planning process when it comes to the city’s grade C office stock if we’re not to be exposed too badly. We should be looking to use it for alternative purposes such as student accommodation, for religious purposes or even as residential accommodation.”