Just six months on from the completion of an extensive refurbishment focused on improving the environmental credentials of one of the city’s most prominent workspaces, a national fuel poverty and energy efficiency charity is set to move in.
National Energy Action – the North East-founded charity and member organisation that aims to ensure everyone in the UK can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home – has chosen Wellbar as its headquarters after agreeing a 10-year lease on a 4,757 sq.ft. suite.
Already home to firms such as Kennedy’s Law, Global Radio, Turnitin and Sky, the improvements made to the 10-storey property, previously known as Wellbar Central at Newcastle’s Gallowgate, have upgraded a number of office spaces, the ground floor reception, lift lobbies, WCs, and shower facilities.
Chief Executive at National Energy Action, which operates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Adam Scorer said: “Wellbar fits both our needs and our ambition.
“We have almost 200 employees and around 47 are currently based in the North East, which has always been our home after being founded in 1981 by local students who put insulation in older people’s homes to keep them warm and safe. So, this is an apt location for us, offering us a multi-purpose space that promotes collaboration among team members in comfortable, professional and inspiring surroundings.
“That, and the activities planned by the building managers will create a good working atmosphere for all our staff and visitors, and we are very much looking forward to getting settled in.”
Prior to the move, which will take place this summer, National Energy Action, whose mission is to end fuel poverty and alleviate its £1.4bn annual burden on the NHS, is planning on a fit out of the eighth-floor space that facilitates team co-working, with a media room for efficient delivery of webinars, podcasts and online training.
Working closely with civil servants and stakeholders from across the political spectrum to affect policy change, the organisation offers energy advice, advocacy, and income maximisation services that help households claim entitlements to support them to live more comfortably. With hardship funds and repair teams, its support is far-reaching and includes training and education on topics such as fuel debt and energy efficiency, which can take place during home visits, at community events, and in schools.
The letting was brokered by Emma Young of Savills, which markets the 118,000 sq.ft Grade A property alongside Knight Frank. She added: “A great deal of thought went into the upgrades for the building to ensure its carbon footprint can be minimised over the long term, and it’s a great vote of confidence into what has been achieved that a charity focused on achieving large-scale energy efficiency will now call Wellbar home.
“We hope to learn from the team over the course of the next 10 years to ensure Wellbar can maintain the most efficient working environment possible, in keeping with their mission.”
