Newcastle's redeveloped Racquets Court serves up UK's best-connected office space

Posted by Knight Frank Newcastle on 8th July 2019 -

When choosing a new office space, the idea of having a games room, on-site showers and meditation areas may sound hip and cool, but in fact, companies are looking for the basic amenities such as faster connectivity. 

But with London lagging behind the rest of the UK in terms of connectivity, according to a report from the consumer group Which?, perhaps some business co-owners would be better suited to look for new office space opportunities outside of the capital?

The Active Capital Report 2019 suggests that technology is having an impact on the value of buildings as we become more connected. It’s estimated that by 2025, every human on the planet will each have nine devices connected to the internet.

According to the report, the “Increasing requirement to always be connected also extends to the workplace and is expected to feature heavily on the list of occupiers’ must-haves going forward.”

People are becoming more and more reliant on the internet and as such, offices with state-of-the-art connectivity, are highly sought after. 

The demand for faster connectivity

With technology constantly evolving, businesses need to ensure that they keep up with the changes. However, with lagging internet speeds, many are falling behind. 

Technology is at the heart of every business and there are several reasons why businesses must constantly meet its demands:

• Communication: interact with clients quickly and clearly
• Efficiency: helps to manage costs, hold meetings online rather than at the client's headquarters 
• Security: protects financial data and confidential information held by the company
• Research: explore new opportunities in order to stay ahead of competitors

Recently however, the UK ranked 27 out of 54 countries in terms of internet and download speeds. The average internet speed in the UK is just 33.4Mbps, but more surprisingly, is that the average speed in London is around 10Mpbs or less. 

So, if you wanted to download a 1GB file at 10Mbps, it will take approximately 14 minutes. It's hardly sufficient for businesses.

However, a newly renovated property in Newcastle is tackling the problem by offering faster connectivity using a high-speed fibre network.

The Racquets Court office space

The building is the first to be connected to the Stellium Network, a 40km metro fibre network that runs around the city. This provides The Racquets Court with some of the best advanced connectivity capabilities in the UK.

The property has low latency and gigabit fibre technology, which means it's optimised to process high volumes of data quickly and with minimal delay. 

Data firm Gavurin, purchased and renovated The Racquets Court and is now located within the building. 

As well as being the firm’s new HQ, there is a 1,866 sq ft high-spec office on the first floor and 12 flexible co-working desks on the ground floor available to let to companies or individuals who require high-download speeds.

Located on College Street, The Racquets Court was once home to the unique sport racquets which is a cross between tennis and squash. 

The interior roof design, which uses tension wires and timber trusses, have been preserved. An original spiral staircase has also been restored and relocated.

Its restoration was completed in November 2018 and Knight Frank has now been appointed to let the available space. 

Patrick Matheson, Partner at Knight Frank said:

“The Racquets Court sets a new bar for co-working space in the North East, not just because of its unrivalled connectivity capabilities but also its luxurious specification. It is likely to suit tenants that require near real-time access to rapidly changing data.

“The facility is responding to occupiers’ changing needs by offering flexible leasing arrangements and an all-inclusive cost.”