Despite having been granted planning permission in 2016 for a new office development at their Alderley Road campus, Royal London Group has confirmed that it is moving out of Wilmslow.
The existing offices at the Royal London Campus on Alderley Road no longer meet the needs of a growing business so the company has been considering a range of options for the future, including potentially moving out of the Borough.
After a lengthy evaluation process, Royal London has today told local staff of its intention to stay in Cheshire East, with the favoured location being the Parklands building at Alderley Park, around 3 miles from the Wilmslow Campus.
The company says that a move to Parklands will enable it to continue growing, whilst providing a world class working environment for current and future workers.
The company still has the option to develop a building on the existing site should any unforeseen challenges emerge over the next few months but strongly believes that 'Parklands' is the best option. The firm will be able to occupy the site sooner than any of the alternatives considered and won't be at risk of continued disruption of extensive and sustained building works going on around staff as would be the case on the current site.
Neil Kilshaw, Head of Group Facilities and Estate Transformation at Royal London, said: "It has long been recognised by Royal London and by Cheshire East Council that our existing buildings in Wilmslow no longer meet the needs of a growing modern business like ours.
"We have thoroughly investigated a range of possible sites, including remaining at a redeveloped Wilmslow Campus and moving out of the Borough. Our exhaustive search has convinced us that Cheshire East and Parklands is the best possible location for our business and our staff."
Royal London Asset Management, which is responsible for strategic management of the site, remains committed to supporting the Cheshire East Council vision for a Living Campus in Wilmslow, as set out in the council's Local Development Framework. As such, work regarding planning applications at the campus is ongoing.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I am a Wilmslow resident and have worked for the company for 37 years - I personally feel the company has been an asset to Wilmslow and I am glad that it has decided to remain within the Cheshire East district.
Over the years there have been so many comments about the company’s plans and it seems that whatever they did it would generate some backlash. If they had remained on the current site and developed it, that would have been seen by some as detrimental to the local area and now they are moving to a different site it is also a negative decision to some.
In an era where small local towns are struggling to thrive, I think it is a very positive decision for Royal London to show a long term commitment to the local area.
What if they are looking to save money and if they couldn’t they’d have to charge more for their services?
I bet many of the dissatisfied and suspicious commentators would find higher prices just another reason for dissatisfaction and suspicion...
The other thing you have to take into account is that for years every little thing they have wanted to do on the Fulshaw Park site has been objected to and fought over every step of the way by members of the public in Wilmslow, some of whom now see some great conspiracy in the move. They need to make changes to their facility and accommodation, so I'm sure at least a little part of the decision for someone is that they could spend the next five years having every brick, every window and every parking space contested, or they could move to somewhere away from where people live and just get on with it.