New Office Tenants Announced for Morpeth’s Sanderson Arcade Development!

New Office Tenants Announced for Morpeth’s Sanderson Arcade Development!

13 January 2009

 Castle Morpeth Housing – part of the ISOS Housing Group – will be moving to new purpose built offices within the town’s Sanderson Arcade development later this year.

 The team at Castle Morpeth Housing will be moving in the Autumn from their present offices at Longhirst Hall to the new purpose built offices, placing them in the heart of the town at Sanderson Arcade.

 The move will enable staff to deliver their services in a much more accessible location in new open plan offices, designed to house around 30 employees.

 Covering 4,365 sq ft the new housing offices will be located on the first floor adjacent to the brand new bus interchange which is currently being built. The interchange is on schedule to open in March 2009.

 The decision to look for new town centre premises was made in 2007 when Castle Morpeth Housing took ownership of their 2,200 homes. The housing association was keen that their services should be more accessible to residents.

 The £32 million Sanderson Arcade mixed use development will house high street names including M&S, New Look, Waterstones and Laura Ashley as well as local businesses The Jewellers Guild and Healthi Choice – only three retail units are now available to let. The Jewellers Guild is also taking office space in the new development.

 Castle Morpeth Housing will be one of the first office tenants in the new town centre scheme which is being brought forward by Morpeth II – the development partnership of Yorkshire based Dransfield Properties Ltd and Ethel Austin Properties.

 Tina Drury, Managing Director of Castle Morpeth Housing said: “We are all really looking forward to the move. Not only will the new open plan office mean we are all together as a team but it will also help give Castle Morpeth Housing its own sense of identity. Most importantly we will be more accessible to our residents enabling us to deliver an even better service.”

 Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, Mark Dransfield, said: “We are very pleased to be announcing that Castle Morpeth Housing will be one of our office tenants at Sanderson Arcade. The town centre in the heart of the community is a great location to deliver their services and we very much look forward to them moving to Sanderson Arcade later this year.”

 Editors Notes

 1. Castle Morpeth was created after council tenants voted by a large majority in favour of their homes being transferred to a Registered Social Landlord. This has unlocked the door to finance that will deliver housing standards above government set targets.

 The company, formally established at the end of October 2007, plans a £120 million investment programme to improve the standard of its 2,200 homes over the next 30 years, creating and maintaining the highest possible levels of accommodation and support services.

 Castle Morpeth Housing are part of the Isos Housing Group which also includes NomadE5 and Milecastle Housing. Together the group is responsible for over 12,000 homes across the North East in both rural and urban areas. 

 2. Work started on the Sanderson Arcade development in July 2008. The first retail outlet – country Casuals -  is expected to be open in February following by the bus interchange in March. There will be phased openings throughout the year.

 3. The new offices have been designed to be fully accessible.

 Photo caption - Tina Drury, managing director at Castle Morpeth Housing (2^nd from the left), celebratesthe launch of the housing association last year.

For further information contact Amanda Holmes or Jackie Helliwell on 01226 360644 or 07824 444017

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk