Independent property adviser, GVA, has been instructed to market the Zenith Control Portfolio – five purpose-built, high specification control centres – on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Situated in Cambridge, Castle Donington, Taunton, Wakefield and Wolverhampton, each Zenith Control Centre extends to some 30,000 sq ft and benefits from a fully secured environment in readily accessible out-of-town, business park locations.
Each of the self-contained three storey buildings incorporates office space and a double height control room suitable for a variety of uses. Other accommodation includes specialist equipment and plant rooms, storage space and full catering facilities.
Available for immediate occupation, the buildings are accessed through gate-houses, fitted with comprehensive CCTV, and have diverse routeing of critical power and diesel powered standby generators fitted as standard. Other facilities include air-conditioning, fire suppression systems and rain water harvesting.
The large control rooms could be used as dedicated emergency response spaces, operations rooms, call/control centres or hi-tech teaching spaces and are well-suited to any occupier seeking well-specified, secure accommodation for immediate occupation.
Andy Venables, Director National Markets with GVA is handling the lettings: “These five buildings provide a virtually oven-ready solution for a wide range of potential occupiers looking for a high specification finish, in-built technology and a resilient, extremely secure environment. I anticipate significant interest from organisations seeking some or all of these characteristics.”
Of the nine control centre buildings originally developed, four have already been let to emergency services, one of which, in Fareham, Hampshire is to be used by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) as their new national Maritime Operations Centre.
Shipping Minister Mike Penning officially opened the centre on 5th July 2012. Mr Penning said: “I am very proud of the new Maritime Operations Centre and the first rate service it will offer those who need assistance around our entire coastline and beyond”.
John Morphew, MCA’s Assistant Director Asset Management, added “We are delighted to have reached agreement with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the transfer of the former Fire Control centre at Fareham to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The control centre is a state of the art facility that will be at the heart of HM Coastguard operations for at least the next 20 years”.
