By Lucy Lord
Partner
Howes Percival LLP
HOWES Percival LLP is well and truly settled in Rushmills and the area continues to see expansion with the next phase of A Grade office development space being offered, with up to 85,000 square feet available.
Rushmills and the adjoining The Lakes are the heart of Northampton’s business and professional community with many of the town’s banks, accountants, surveyors, solicitors and other businesses calling them home. Whilst Rushmills was largely unlet a couple of years ago, the recent letting of Britannia House marks the end of a two-year rejuvenation period, with the area now fully refurbished and occupied. The success of Rushmills and The Lakes, combined with the neighbouring prominent Brackmills industrial estate, has resulted in the creation of the town’s premier commercial, industrial and logistics hub.
Notwithstanding the success of Rushmills, The Lakes and Brackmills, there still remains a serious lack of available quality office buildings and industrial and logistical units that are ready for occupation in Northamptonshire. This has inevitably driven up rents and, while landlords may be benefiting, this cannot be good for the health of our county’s business community.
More than ever, there is a real need for land to be made available for commercial, industrial and logistics development if the county is serious about wanting to attract head office type employment that we have seen in other locations, notably Birmingham.
The county’s excellent transport links, with its proximity to rail services, the M1 and DIRFT, make it a key location for any business outside of London. Rushmills, The Lakes and Brackmills have shown that this can be done very successfully and can be used as a blueprint to roll out similar hubs around Northamptonshire to ensure that we remain at the heart of the Midlands commercial, industrial and logistics community.
