Volkswagen has re-affirmed its faith in Milton Keynes, UK
with the news that it is to construct a new £25 million headquarters for its
financial services building.
No contractor has yet
been appointed to handle the work which will cover 100,000 square feet.
Tongwell in Milton
Keynes is already the base for the headquarters of Volkswagen Group United
Kingdom Ltd and the company’s financial services activities occupies a nearby
building.
But the erection of an imposing,
stylish building will give Volkswagen Financial Services Limited (VWFS) its own
personal identity.
The first phase of
demolition has already started at the former River island warehouse site, a few
hundred metres from the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz, part of Germany’s
Daimler, and Audi, a VW company.
The entire project is
expected to be complete by the end of 2014. Planning permission was obtained in
October 2012. Volkswagen has been working closely with architects PHP to
develop a state-of-the-art, high specification building.
The scheme provides
100,000 square feet over four floors and, in addition to office space, it will
include a staff car park, restaurant and coffee shop for staff, a large area of
external green space, flexible working spaces, a theatre-style conference
centre and secure cycle storage.
It is expected the new
premises will see an influx of staff to the business which has been growing
steadily over the years, some possibly from Germany.
The development marks a
further significant investment by developers UK & European in Milton
Keynes, having previously developed the 500,000 square feet River Island
distribution facity at Magna Park during 2010.
Managing Director at
VWFS UK, Lisa Stacey, said: “Our move to the new purpose-built site on Delaware
Drive marks the commitment of Volkswagen Financial Services to Milton
Keynes."
“The new building will
allow VWFS to remain close to its sister company (Volkswagen Group) and provide
enough space for the company to grow incrementally over the next 20 years. This
will secure the future of VWFS as a major contributor to the economy of Milton
Keynes.”
