Office space filling up fast

By COLIN TAYLOR

Leasing is well under way at the "worker-friendly" Central Park Corporate Centre in Greenlane, where a key attraction for frustrated Auckland office commuters is its 1240 carparks.

The 24,500sq m centre, set in 6.2ha of landscaped grounds at 666 Great South Rd, was bought last October by the Macquarie Goodman Industrial Trust, an Australian listed industrial property trust boasting $3.8 billion in total assets and 500 corporate customers.

The trust also owns the Gate Industry Park bordered by the Southdown Railfreight Terminal and Church and Neilson Sts in Penrose.

The Central Park office complex comprises nine buildings: one 10-storey tower, three six-floor towers, four two-storey buildings and an amenities building reached by tree-lined service roads.

"Our company wants to make Central Park the New Zealand leader in office parks," said development manager Brett Schofield.

"We want to create a community feel within all the business parks and industrial facilities we are developing."

Access to the adjoining Southern Motorway and Ellerslie railway station just 400m away are also attractions to companies and workers in the centre.

The complex includes a gymnasium and will have a daycare centre. Gym membership is $25 a month, with a free fitness assessment on signing up.

An attractive outdoor lunch setting has been provided for workers, with wooden benches distributed throughout the office park alongside raised planter boxes containing a variety of trees. More landscaping is planned.

The amenities building contains a fully licensed Six Sixty-Six Brasserie and a cafe-delicatessen. Also on site is Aspells Catering, serving corporate lunches, finger foods and meals to tenants in the centre and to companies throughout Auckland.

A conference/seminar centre serviced by the restaurant seats 80 theatre-style or 40 in a work-station setting.

"We still have some space left to lease in the tower blocks but all the lower-level buildings are fully occupied," said Schofield.

"We also have signage rights left to three tower blocks and one new building designated as Building 8."

The average floor plate size in the available tower blocks was 660sq m, which could be occupied by a single tenant or divided into two or three smaller tenancies.

Schofield said the company had received a range of inquiries from international and Auckland firms interested in the office park concept and ease of road access to the airport and city centre.

"Our competitive leasing rates are another significant attraction for tenants, compared with those asked within the Auckland CBD and fringes."

Tenants also appreciated having an on-site management office and building supervisor to immediately address building, service or utility problems.

Companies already occupying the centre represent a spectrum of industries, including IT, insurance, security, recruitment, construction management, pharmaceutical, government departments and a suburban newspaper.

The complex has been extensively refurbished since its purchase, including the construction of weather canopies over foyer entrances, upgraded air-conditioning cooling towers, repainting, new ceiling tiles, improved lighting, re-carpeting and new signage.

In keeping with its stated environmentally friendly policies, the trust has begun work adjacent to the motorway, cleaning up and screening off areas where debris has accumulated.

Schofield said there was plenty of land within the 6ha site for more buildings and carparks.