The heartland of Oxford’s professional services district is recovering strongly, with three deals agreed in quick succession.
Botley and Cumnor to the West of the City have traditionally been the area to find banks, lawyers and accountancy firms, and it is remaining buoyant despite the impact of COVID-19, according to experts at commercial property specialists VSL and Partners.
Financial services business Grant Thornton has further cemented its long-established presence in the area after letting a 4,276 sq ft space on the ground floor of Seacourt Tower, Botley. A five-year lease was agreed with VSL and Partners acting for MA Seacourt Ltd.
The iconic building comprising 176,000 sq ft of multi-let offices and retail warehousing is also occupied by other major names such as Blake Morgan solicitors, property consultants Bidwells and banking business Handelsbanken.
Meanwhile, VSL has also just completed on a deal that will see expanding international patent and trademark attorneys, Dehns, move into ground floor office space at Willow Court in Botley.
And global communications agency McCann Health has moved into office space at 201 Cumnor Hill, also occupied by Beard Construction. McCann has taken a five-year lease agreed by VSL that acted for EW Beard Ltd.
VSL director Richard Venables said: “This area contains long-established Oxford businesses which are now strengthening their commitment to the area, through this succession of deals.
“It is a sign that the foundations of the local economy are strong and provides a lot of confidence as we emerge from the pandemic.”
