Ecclesiastical Insurance move to Gloucester Docks HQ confirmed
Ecclesiastical Insurance, one of the UK’s largest specialist insurers and the biggest private sector employer in the City of Gloucester, has agreed headline contractual terms with landowners The South West RDA to develop a new £multi-million headquarters at Southgate Moorings, Gloucester Docks.
Southgate Moorings is widely recognised as the best site in Gloucestershire for new office development.
This agreement means that The South West RDA and Ecclesiastical Insurance, working alongside Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company (GHURC), can now develop detailed designs and seek planning permission for the new building. The site, located on Southgate Street in front of the former Bank of England building, is currently home to a temporary public car park.
Chris Oldershaw, Chief Executive of The Gloucester Urban Regeneration Company (GHURC), added: “This £multi-million commitment by Ecclesiastical is an expression of commercial belief in Gloucester and a massive boost for the City’s on-going regeneration signalling a confidence in the City which is not going un-noticed across both the South West and nationally.”
Graham Johnson, Transformation Director at Ecclesiastical, said: “We are very excited about reaching a big milestone of our office move and hope this sends a clear message to the City that we are committed to Gloucester for the long-term.”
Peter Holloway, Development Manager at the South West RDA, said: “This move has been on the cards for some time and it’s fantastic to have got the deal to this point. Not only does this secure the future of a major employer in Gloucester, but the new office building will complete one of the remaining plots at the Docks – an area which we have worked hard to regenerate over the last 10 years. There is a real buzz around the Docks now and this is set to get even better when the public spaces are completed later this year and once Ecclesiastical moves in.”
Ecclesiastical was founded in 1887 largely to protect churches from the consequences of fire. It still insures more than 90% of Anglican churches across England, but now also covers charity, education, heritage and care insurance alongside other general commercial risks. It is a British-owned business with group assets of over £1.5 billion.
Ecclesiastical’s decision to move to the Docks follows an extensive consultation with staff who voted in favour of an inner city location. The Docks development will provide Ecclesiastical with modern premises and good transport links within an extensively regenerated Docks. The new development will also be next door to the new Gloucester Quays Designer Outlet Centre.
Chris Oldershaw at the GHURC, said: “We started working with Ecclesiastical in 2007 when they were considering options for the location of their new office, including relocating outside the city centre. As the biggest employer in the City Centre, we wanted to keep them here. The GHURC worked with Ecclesiastical to find a suitable site to accommodate their 600 plus staff and keep them as close as possible to the City Centre.
“Working with Ecclesiastical, and with the support of the South West RDA, we were able to put together a deal which enabled Ecclesiastical to stay in the heart of the City, rather than lose one of our major employers.”
This commitment by Ecclesiastical Insurance adds to the £500m investment already secured for the URC area.
The project will also include developing detailed plans for Ecclesiastical’s existing office buildings in Gloucester, some of which it owns and others which are leased. The company says that any impending sales and lease agreement terminations will be carefully and responsibly managed.
Graham Johnson at Ecclesiastical, added: ““We have a very clear vision for our new office. It will bring all our people together in a modern environment and will strengthen the motivation and morale. This will improve the way we work and strengthen our culture even further. The project will take a while to complete because we want to make sure we leave our current offices behind responsibly and we want to ensure the new building is sympathetic to its surroundings, is environmentally friendly and fits well with all the fantastic development work already completed or underway in the City. Getting this agreement signed is a big step forward for us, but there is still a long way to go.”