Wates has been appointed to deliver the final construction phase of a major government office development in Manchester city centre.
The firm will carry out the Category B fit-out of the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) First Street Hub, a nine-storey office block located a short walk from Oxford Road and Deansgate stations.
The appointment follows practical completion of Category A works and the formal lease commencement.
It marks the last major procurement step ahead of the planned completion in autumn 2026.
Designed by Cartwright Pickard and delivered by Ask Real Estate, the £105m scheme will house around 2,600 civil servants.
Departments due to occupy the space include the Department for Education, the Department for Business and Trade, the Office for Standards in Education, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The 12,000 square metres building was forward funded by the Pension Insurance Corporation.
It has achieved a 5.5-star NABERS UK energy efficiency rating, placing it among the top-performing sustainable office buildings nationwide.
The First Street Hub forms part of the GPA’s Government Hubs Programme, which is rationalising the government estate while supporting regional growth.
The hub will include a range of collaborative workspaces and has been designed to meet inclusive and accessible standards.
Scott Camp, managing director of Wates Smartspace, said the firm would build on its previous GPA work in Darlington and Croydon.