Construction starts on £150m Santander campus in Milton Keynes

John Sisk has been awarded the biggest building contract agreed in the UK since the Coronavirus outbreak and will start construction immediately on the £150m Milton Keynes bank campus – opening is scheduled for late 2022.

Jonathan Ratcliffe, from Milton Keynes office agency Offices.co.uk, commented: “The trend for campus type office buildings is booming, and this development demonstrates a new American-style thinking for offices for large businesses – Milton Keynes is the winner, and 6,000 staff, it’s great news that it’s going ahead now.”

The office site will be environmentally sustainable, designed to reach BREAM Excellent and WELL ‘Gold’ Certification – meaning both the environment and staff will benefit from its green credentials.

The campus is designed around the individuals working there, only something a large site can achieve, with fitness centre, bike storage and rooftop with running track.

Jonathan Ratcliffe added: “Post-COVID workspaces are changing, and Santander really has its timing right for this scheme, the future is all about the employee and their welfare, health and mental health.

“We will be seeing more large campus developments where the business can develop a home for its staff away from the distractions and health issues of the big city buildings.”

The campus site, which is to be known as ‘Unity Place’, is located centrally, meaning transport connections will be second to none.

Ajaz Shafi, Director, UK South, John Sisk & Son, said: “This is a landmark project comprising of circa 500,000 square foot of ultra-modern office space constructed over an expansive double basement.”

The campus development is set for opening in Autumn 2022 and will accommodate 6,000 staff, car parking for 900 cars and 560 bike parking spaces.