Home Office Takes Another 115,000 SF in Croydon To Tackle Asylum Seeker Crisis

LONDON-The Home Office’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate has continued its rapid expansion in Croydon, with four separate deals adding over 115,000 sf to its holdings in the south London suburban office centre.

Following its acquisition of Taylor Woodrow’s new 40,500-sf Metro Point scheme in April, IND has now acquired another 51,000 sf in P & O’s refurbished St Ann House, Wellesley Road at a rent of £14 ($21) per sf with a tenant’s option to break after ten years.

At the same time the IND has taken an assignment of HBOS’s lease on two floors–totalling 18,900 sf–in Sunley House, Bedford Park at a rent passing of £254,000 ($370,000) per annum. The lease expires in June 2005 and a substantial rent free period was agreed. In the same building IND has taken another 3,400 sf direct from the landlord, Topland Estates, at a rent of £10.50 ($16) per sf.

And now it is understood that another 42,000 sf is also under offer to IND in Canterbury House, Sydenham Road.

Lambert Smith Hampton acted for the Home Office on all the acquisitions, P & O and Topland Estates were represented by Stiles Harold Williams and HBOS by Hodnet Martin Smith.