Rural offices in the East Midlands on the up

Over the years, we've seen interest in rural offices rise and fall, and today their popularity is again on the up thanks to faster broadband connection in out of town locations.

The Manor at Tur Langton

Rural offices tend to attract “clean” businesses such as designers, IT and marketing consultants.

Reasons for heading to a rural development in Leicestershire range from bucolic to pragmatic. “It’s a lifestyle choice for many owners,” says Andrew Robinson, one of our chartered surveyors. “Some firms like to project a certain eco image so a few ‘designer cows’ go down well, but one of the key reasons people choose to locate out of town is to avoid the rush hour and save on commute time,” he says.

Typical of successful new generation of rural offices is The Manor at Tur Langton, a converted dairy farm in rolling south Leicestershire countryside.

The range of rural office developments on offer across the East Midlands runs from desk space to entire buildings. Popular locations with a good choice of properties include south Leicestershire and to the north Charnwood forest.

For landowners looking to diversify, Internet connectivity is clearly crucial but good views are another big draw. Supply both of those, and there are plenty of prospective tenants ready to pay healthy rents to move in to Leicestershire rural developments.

We recommend landowners talk to an expert to assess potential and make sure plans meet the needs of local businesses. You don’t need to spend a fortune converting buildings or developing new ones, but a bit of objectivity goes a long way.