Mantle to replace its CB1 Centre with new larger business centre at Nine Hills Road in Cambridge

Mantle is relocating its central Cambridge business centre to Nine Hills Road amid a rise in demand for its flexible workspaces.

The company, which has seven business centres, will replace its current CB1 Centre at 20 Station Road with the new site, which is double the size.

It has taken a 10-year lease from the University of Cambridge on the 30,000 square foot building at Nine Hills Road.

Mantle has run the CB1 Centre since 2013 under a management agreement with freeholder Brookgate, which will now develop the site following its closure on November 4, 2020.

Existing occupiers at CB1 Centre will transfer to Nine Hills Road.

Guy Baker, chief executive officer of Mantle, said: “CB1 has been a huge success with 100 per cent occupancy, so we look forward to having twice the space to meet the high demand in Cambridge from our current customers and those businesses looking for flexible workspace, including meeting the demand for our new ‘Home-flexi’ option.

“We continue to focus on the south-east office market and provide high quality and functional workspace that meets the fast moving and changing needs of our customers.“

The shake-up in the way businesses operate, and the desire for more flexible and decentralised workspace models, has driven up demand at Mantle’s business centres, which also include the Bradfield Centre on Cambridge Science Park and The Officers’ Mess at Duxford.

“August is traditionally a quiet time of year in our market. However, we have had an unprecedented number of new inquiries across our business centre portfolio during July and August with a 27 per cent increase year on year,” said Guy.

“We continue to respond to the demand from people and companies who wish to continue to work from home while having flexible, well-connected space where they can meet and collaborate with their teams and other businesses.

“It has been great working with Brookgate over the years and we wish them continued success in their visionary and exciting regeneration plans for the area. We look forward to launching our latest business centre to Cambridge in November.”

The Nine Hills Road site will open on November 1. It lies five minutes from the station, and a five-minute walk to the city centre.

Mantle has already begun refurbishing the building, using London-based architects Selencky Parsons, which also helped the company design its centres at Kings Court in Stevenage, The Lambourn in Oxford and Thremhall Park in Stansted.

New co-working spaces and offices in a range of sizes are promised at Nine Hills Road, as well as phone booths, breakfast bars, large meeting rooms, 80 parking spaces, cycle parking, showering and drying facilities.

Mantle is paying rent of £32 per square foot. Savills acted on behalf of the University of Cambridge.

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