The Home Office has taken 38,000 sq. ft. of space at Two Smithfield in the city centre with hundreds of civil servants set to move to the building in the coming weeks. The move to Two Smithfield is a temporary base, ahead of a move to a more permanent home in the city.
Smithfield is a development delivered in partnership between Genr8 and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the Smithfield scheme is currently home to the 140 bed Hilton Garden Inn hotel, 151 apartment Build-To-Rent Clayworks building, One and Two Smithfield 210,000 sq. ft. of grade A office accommodation and more recently the city’s premium flexible managed office and co-working venue, Smithfield Works.
Two Smithfield will house the Immigration & Visa Service department and will see around an initial 200 staff working in Stoke-on-Trent, rising to at least 500 in the next few years. The Home Office are continuing to recruit locally for further roles.
The relocation forms part of the government’s Places for Growth programme which aims to move 22,000 roles out of the capital, including 50% of UK-based senior civil service roles by 2030. Part of the strategy has already seen large departments take space across the North of England.
The building is a highly efficient design that maximises value for the Home Office whilst still delivering on key specialist briefing criteria such as security and targeting BREEAM outstanding.
Joel Chandler, Development Manager at Genr8 Development’s, said: “The Home Office choosing Two Smithfield, Stoke-on-Trent as their temporary new home is fantastic news for our community which will bring over 160 additional jobs and local spend to the area.’’
“Two Smithfield is the perfect fit for Home Office with its accessible location and green credentials all in line with the Government’s sustainability drive.”
Councillor Abi Brown, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the Home Office to Stoke-on-Trent in a move which will bring hundreds of new jobs to the city and make the Home Office a major employer in Stoke-on-Trent.
“The addition of the Home Office will help to cement Smithfield as a key city centre gateway and attract more footfall to Hanley and the surrounding areas. Two Smithfield is a key location in the city centre and forms part of the wider Smithfield development which already supports thousands of jobs.”
The GPA (Government Property Agency) is an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office who help transform the way the civil service works and help reshape the relationship civil servants have with their place of work, nationally. Roles such as customer service administrator officers are currently being advertised with more across the digital and operational teams due to be released as well as apprenticeship opportunities.
Smithfield is an integral part of Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s regeneration agenda. Located in the city centre, the mixed-use development is a place of work, living and leisure. The development is focused on bringing the city together by connecting new and existing areas.