Osborne+Co has submitted a planning application for the wholesale reimagining of Santander’s former office in Milton Keynes.
The development, which has been christened Verve, is located on Grafton Gate and will provide 250,000 sq ft of highly sustainable, Grade A office space set around an internal street, housed in a substantial atrium between two blocks.
Designed by LOM Architecture and Design, the redevelopment will retain as much of the existing building as possible and the project team is targeting BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating.
Osborne+Co and LOM Architecture and Design recently completed Santander UK’s Unity Place Campus, a 440,000 sq ft new development in central Milton Keynes.
Jim Osborne, partner and owner of Osborne+Co, said: “We are extremely proud of what we have created and delivered at Unity Place. Combined with Verve, these two developments will redefine the office market in Ccentral Milton Keynes and provide space that is desperately needed in this increasingly important market between London, Oxford and Cambridge. This micro location will continue to be a focal point for a diverse range of businesses of all sizes, with 60,000 sq ft of co-working workspace managed by X&Y sitting alongside Santander UK in Unity Place. Verve will benefit from the synergy and immediate proximity of Unity Place, with staff being able to use the plethora of amenities within the building”
Andrew Willcock, head of Greater London and South East office agency at Savills, which is the joint letting agent for the scheme, added: “These are exciting plans which capture the growing need for high quality offices in Milton Keynes and more broadly across the South East, as these markets face a chronic undersupply of prime office space. Osborne+Co are highly experienced developers with a strong track record of delivering market leading developments, with recent experience in Milton Keynes.”
Ryan Dean, director at joint leasing agent LSH, said: “Additionally, the government’s recent announcement to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth corridor, including the East-West Rail, will position Milton Keynes as a vital business hub between Oxford and Cambridge. Milton Keynes is a thriving commercial centre in its own right, home to occupiers such as Santander, Red Bull, Allianz & Securitas. Increased connectivity of the OxCam region, and to London, will only help to attract new occupiers and residents to the region.”
Savills, LSH and BrayFoxSmith have been appointed as joint leasing agents for Verve.
