The north-eastern suburb Angel is becoming a popular choice for commercial office spaces thanks to its strong cultural environment and links to the inner city. Despite uncertainty over London’s role as a business hub post-European Union, it remains the top location for commercial headquarters in the United Kingdom, and with the city constantly growing, the hunt for office space remains competitive, with more and more businesses considering renting commercial office space in Angel, London.
Traditionally, commercial offices were cloistered from retail centres in high-rise buildings in separate districts, but as working hours increase and commute times lengthen, free time has shrunk, and many London workers are seeking out offices close to high streets and restaurants where they can go shopping and have dinner before the long trip home. The ‘evening economy’ of Angel, as it is called, includes a cinema and the world-class O2 Academy nightclub, and is one of most restaurant-dense areas of London.
As a retail-centric area in a business improvement district right on the fringe of the central city, Angel has a unique potential as a lively business locale in the city centre. Many companies have taken the opportunity to develop new commercial spaces to rent or lease, either as shared or private offices, available on websites such as The Workplace Company. The most famous is the Business Design centre, which hosts over 300 events every year.
Angel is also the location of the Islington Business Partnership, a network of over 780 local businesses, which provides business support and opportunities for like-minded workers and entrepreneurs to meet and share resources, skills and ideas either casually or at organised workshops and functions.
The area is particularly suitable for businesses in the finance industry, as Angel is one of the closest suburbs to Bank, London’s financial district and business core, without the expensive rental costs of true inner-city office spaces. Angel’s close proximity to Waterloo and King’s Cross also makes it an attractive location for businesses such as media or publishing.
Like most central areas, living in Angel has become increasingly expensive in recent years, and residential rental costs are now 50 per cent higher than the London average. Commercial renting, however, remains competitive, particularly in light of its proximity to the very centre of London and the financial and business districts.
Angel is a Zone 1 location on the transport system, and is serviced by a tube station, a train station, and various buses, which means commuting to and from work is relatively simple for workers who live outside the area. As it’s a short walk to central locations such as Kings Cross, workers can easily visit nearby businesses for meetings or workshops if needed.
As the shape of London continues to evolve, Angel is emerging as an ideal commercial hub for many businesses who want to remain in the heart of the city while still offering its workers cultural and entertainment options close to hand, and relatively easy transport access to Greater London and beyond.