HMRC confirms location of Glasgow Regional Centre

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has formally signed an agreement to lease a ten storey new build, at 1 Atlantic Square, Argyle Street in Glasgow, for 25 years. HMRC will be one of the largest employers in the city, adding value to the local economy and forming strong relationships with the community.

HMRC will be taking an estimated 187,205 sq. ft. of office space, eventually accommodating around 2,700 full-time equivalent employees from across the department by 2021. Atlantic Square is the 10th of the 13 new regional centres that HMRC has announced, as part of its transformation plans to create a tax authority fit for the future. HMRC is investing in the best of modern technology and basing its people in state-of-the-art and more cost-effective buildings, as it creates better, more modern customer services and makes it harder for the dishonest minority to cheat the system.

Jon Thompson, HMRC Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, said:

“Our Glasgow Regional Centre is another step in HMRC’s transformation into a modern, digitally-advanced tax authority. The centre will bring teams together promoting closer working relationships, increasing our effectiveness in collecting taxes and targeting the minority who don’t pay. We will invest in our people by creating career development opportunities, while creating stronger relationships with the local community.

"We are delighted to have agreed terms for Atlantic Square and to have made a commitment to our Regional Centre in Glasgow. This is the beginning of a process that will see our staff come together in state-of-the-art facilities, and make HMRC an important contributor to the economy and to communities in and around Glasgow.”

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said:

“We are investing in multi-departmental government hubs across the UK so that even more civil servants will be able to work in modern, flexible offices, delivering the best quality public services from every corner of the country.”

Leader of Glasgow City Council, Councillor Susan Aitken, said:

“This is a significant and long-term investment in Glasgow that reinforces the city’s status as a world-class business location and a major hub for jobs in the financial services sector.”

Notes for Editors

1. The building will be subject to a 25 year lease on around 187,205 sq. ft. of office space.

2. HMRC instructed JLL to undertake a comprehensive search of Glasgow, and the Atlantic Square development was found to be by far the most suited and cost effective.

3. BAM Properties Ltd and TCP Developments Ltd are developing Atlantic Square as a joint venture.

4. The lease payments on the new HMRC Glasgow Regional Centre will be taxable in the UK.

5. HMRC is satisfied the deal represents the best value for money for the taxpayer.

6. HMRC announcement made in November 2015 about the location of all the regional centres.

7. HMRC has signed the leases of 10 new regional centre locations and the Newcastle Regional Centre will retain the current site at Benton Park View.

8. HMRC will retain a presence in East Kilbride until 2025/26.