University of Nottingham acquires landmark HMRC site which was on market for more than £36m
The University of Nottingham has bought a landmark office complex in Nottingham city centre which had been on the market for more than £36 million.
The university has acquired the freehold of the six building Castle Meadow Campus in Castle Meadow Road, which is currently used by HMRC and law firm Browne Jacobson.
The site was put up for sale after HMRC signed a 25-year lease on the 10 storey Unity Square hub, being built next to Nottingham railway station.
Some 4,000 workers from HMRC and other government departments will start moving in there next year.
The Castle Meadow Campus has six distinctive three and four storey office blocks along with health and wellbeing hub, and is also close to the railway station.
The offices, designed by Michael Hopkins, were the first in the UK to achieve the BREEAM Excellent award and in 1995 won the Brick Award for the best commercial and industrial building of the year, followed by various other awards.
The site has been sold by Mapeley Steps Limited and Malabar Investment Holdings Limited and will be turned into a campus for final year and post-graduate students for the university.
Victor Ktori, head of office at the Savills property agency in Nottingham, said: “This was an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire a strategically located self-contained freehold landmark campus in the heart of Nottingham city centre.
“Given the property’s unique credentials it couldn’t be better suited for the University and the team are very pleased to have secured this significant deal on behalf of our client.”
University Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “This is a symbolic milestone in the story of both the city and the University of Nottingham and presents a hugely exciting opportunity.
“Opening an additional UK campus is an expression of confidence in the future of both the University and the city of Nottingham.
“Having a campus in the city, with transport links that offer a gateway beyond the region, will help enhance our civic agenda and enable us to deliver on our ambitions to support jobs, investment and growth across the city.
“It also offers greater opportunities for collaboration with local business, industry and SMEs, making it easier for partners to engage with us and develop long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.
“For students in particular the site could enable greater and more convenient links with regional business and industry through placements, entrepreneurship, and collaboration to deliver a professional and practice-based curriculum, enhancing their graduate employment skills and opportunities to remain and work in the city.
“A civic and professional campus at Castle Meadow will accelerate the delivery of our strategic ambitions, demonstrating to the people of Nottingham just how far we are prepared to go to make a positive difference for the city, while offering the best of facilities for staff and current and future students.”
Sign up for your free East Midlands newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn
![](https://i2-prod.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/article21224783.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_BusinessLive-East-Mids-Logo-Blue.jpg)
Email newsletters
BusinessLive is your home for business news from across the East Midlands including Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
Click through here to sign up for our daily email newsletter and also view the broad range of other bulletins we offer including weekly sector-specific updates.
We will also send out ‘Breaking News’ emails for any stories which must be seen right away.
For all the latest stories, views and polls, follow our BusinessLive East Midlands LinkedIn page here.