CONSTRUCTION work has started on Brighton’s first new office development since the Brexit vote.

Developer and contractor McAleer and Rushe says The Brinell Building should be completed in 12 months.

It is situated in the centre of the city next to the railway station.

Knight Frank and SHW have been appointed as joint-letting agents for the 65,000 sq ft new build office.

Emma Goodford, head of national offices at Knight Frank LLP, said: “There’s been a dearth of good quality office stock in Brighton at a time when we’ve seen increased demand through an expanding workforce and a burgeoning residential offer.

“The Brinell Building is the first new build since Brexit and McAleer and Rushe has a track record for developing in Brighton after completing CityView in 2016.

“CityView was leased to tenants on completion including Rocketmill, Ideal Networks and Unity Technologies.

“The Brinell Building is in a prime location next to the station and its design will attract media and tech companies as well as appealing to financial and business occupiers.

“I forecast it to achieve record-breaking rents for the city and lease up ahead of completion in spring 2019.”

It is a seven-storey building with underground car and cycle parking, electrical car charging points, private changing booths and showers, a drying room and a double height reception.

Angus Monteith, London Property Director at McAleer and Rushe said: “We are delighted to be underway with construction of The Brinell Building and we look forward to the building completing in January 2019.

“The 65,000 sq ft building is double the size of our last Brighton office project at CityView which was a real success.

“It was an easy decision to push ahead with construction when we have a well-designed building in a great location and the undersupply of the Brighton office market is seeing rents and values rise.”

Brighton has a growing new digital, media and technology sector which has developed beside established corporate companies that include American Express, BUPA, Kimberly-Clark, EDF, Mott MacDonald and Lloyds Bank.

Knight Frank LLP is an independent global property consultancy. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank has more than 14,000 people operating from 413 offices across 60 countries.

A privately-owned business, McAleer and Rushe is one of the leading construction and property companies in the UK.

Based in Cookstown with offices in London, Dublin and Belfast, the company employs 270 people throughout the UK and Ireland and celebrated 50 years in business in 2017.

For further information on the new Brighton development you can visit http://www.mcaleer-rushe.co.uk