Enquiries for out of town offices in Birmingham have increased over the last month, as car parking and the ability to social distance enhances the appeal of sites like Fort Dunlop and Birmingham Business Park demonstrating a shift away from the city centre.

“I wouldn’t say people are deserting Birmingham City Centre, but what we are seeing is a clear short-term spike in interest in office sites with car parking and smaller private office suites”,

explains Jonathan Ratcliffe from Birmingham Office Agency Offices.co.uk,

“it’ll be interesting to see if this continues into the medium-term”.

The Post-Covid office market is quite different to what it was before. Employers are listening to what their staff are asking for, and there is a clear shift away from busy central areas and public transport. Out of town sites such as Birmingham Business Park next to the M6/M42 have good transport links, enjoy more green space and are ideal for those now driving to work.

“You’d not ideally want to drive into Birmingham city centre, so if you are travelling by car to work, as we all are currently, you want to a direct commute and a car parking space. People are actively avoiding other people on public transport. Car parking is the key feature tenants are asking for now”.

The demand for large physical office space in the city centre is set to reduce as the trend for remote working gathers pace – however it is thought some form of office will still be required. Out of town demand is increasing now, as face-to-face meetings go virtual and therefore a city location becomes less important.

Birmingham for example has plenty of choice of city centre office spaces, however it is the options on the outskirts where the current demand lies. Fort Dunlop off Junction 5 of the M6 enjoys car parking, superb transport links, cheaper desk prices and more open space seems to be the go-to area over the past month.

“The centre of Birmingham is relatively quiet still, however we know once a vaccine has been developed and the fear has gone that they will once again thrive, but for now it’s all about cars and smaller private offices for those wanting to get back to work”,

concludes Jonathan Ratcliffe from Offices.co.uk