• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

North East Connected

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A year in the life of an iconic Stockton building

Owners and tenants of Teesside’s most luxurious office space celebrate a year since it first opened its doors for business

In the heart of Stockton, Gloucester House on Church Road has a history spanning 250 years. The Grade II listed Georgian townhouse started life as an impressive residence on Stockton’s Paradise Row before becoming a hotel and much later a planning office for the local authority, as well as home to e-commerce company Visualsoft.

Current owners Jeff and Caroline Highfield purchased the property in 2016 and set about a three-month refurbishment plan which saw £1m invested into the property.

This week marks a year since Gloucester House opened its doors, offering premium office suites from 114 sq ft to 550 sq ft across three floors, high levels of security, including access control with key-less entry and high definition CCTV. Tenants also benefit from exceptionally fast 500Mb free internet access and 125 free parking spaces.

Jeff, who was brought up in Roseworth, Stockton said: “There is a growing entrepreneurial culture in the area and we recognised a real shortage of flexible business space in and around Stockton. A year in, the building is 80% occupied with a variety of businesses who benefit from the growing environment which encourages businesses to network and create opportunities of working together.”

Businesses operating from Gloucester House include Hartlepool and Stockton Health, Silverlink Clinics, Next Level Security Services and Bespoke Financial, who have recently relocated their entire team to the Stockton building.

Sharon Starkey, Managing Director of Resolution Communications, who were one of the first tenants in Gloucester House and have seen their staff numbers treble since moving in, said: “We are proud advocates of the town and feel incredibly lucky to be based in Gloucester House. There is a thriving business community evolving between tenants which aligns with the positive development and improvements we are seeing on the high street.”

Community is a key feature and tenants are supported with regular tenant events including business updates from the region along with an opportunity to profile their business to colleagues. A calendar of social events supports the ideology and tenants are procuring services from each other.

Karen Hindhaugh, BID Manager of Stockton Business Improvement District attended the celebrations and said: “The positive redevelopment of the town is attracting new investment and Gloucester House has placed Stockton as a serious contender for businesses looking for office facilities. As businesses locate in Stockton, they bring with them employees who can make use of the facilities and services within the town centre.”

By Emily