International real estate advisor Savills is strengthening its presence in the North East by relocating their Newcastle office to one of the city centre’s newest office buildings, The Lumen.

Savills will move from office space on Grey Street to The Lumen – landmark office space located on Newcastle Helix – once fit-outs have been completed in the Autumn. The firm will occupy 3,000 sq ft on this 24-acre sustainable development that brings together industry leaders, businesses, and top researchers into an internationally renowned innovation community.

The office, which will continue to be led by directors Neil Morton, Ray Minto and Roger Speirs who head up the planning, development and valuation teams respectively, will be complemented by the well-established rural team led by directors Michael Orde and Mark Watt.

The news follows the latest mainstream property forecasts from Savills in which house prices in the North East are expected to see growth of 20 per cent over the five years to 2025, five times the 4 per cent predicted growth in London and above the UK average of 15.1 per cent.

Roger Speirs, Head of Savills Newcastle, says: “Newcastle is a significant regional location for us, and this exciting development reinforces our commitment to the North East. Savills is the only UK-wide property consultancy providing end-to-end services across the whole development lifecycle and we are excited to grow this offering in the region from our Newcastle hub.

“Having access to a wide range of property-related expertise in one location is hugely beneficial for our clients and, bringing in our rural offering under one roof, will enable those wishing to explore other property-related opportunities to do so. We have extensive experience across planning, development, valuation, management services and architecture & building surveying, and we look forward to growing the services we can offer over the coming years.”

Councillor Ged Bell, Cabinet Member for Employment and Culture at Newcastle City Council, added: “A huge welcome to Savills, who are the second tenant to announce their move into The Lumen. We are gaining significant interest from potential new occupiers, who are not only impressed with the quality of the design and build, but the unique eco-system that surrounds its base. Newcastle Helix is a home for innovation and business and is a place that fosters collaboration between the public sector and private sector, resulting in new ideas, discoveries, products and services that help us all live better. Businesses don’t want to stand still; they want to grow and diversify, and we are delighted to welcome Savills to our Newcastle Helix community.”