Winchester: Gentian lets Trafalgar House to Skanska in 20-year deal

Gentian bought the city-centre building in early 2016 and had secured planning consent to convert the offices to residential.

However, Nick Ekins, Gentian director, said: “It made perfect sense to let the whole building to Skanska on a long lease to satisfy their premises requirement; they now have a local HQ to service the HCC contract and Winchester is a beautiful city to work in.”

The property is currently undergoing a major refurbishment programme to include the installation of air conditioning, a lift, raised floors, LED lighting, WCs and showers which is on schedule to be completed in early 2018.

Trafalgar House is a traditional Grade II Listed building which was substantially extended in the 1970s to provide a four-storey predominantly open plan office building with its own parking. The rear of the building overlooks a large plaza with outdoor seating and access to Winchester Law Courts and The Castle.

Goadsby’s head of Hampshire agency Allan Pickering added: “Trafalgar House’s location right in the centre of Winchester makes it one of the City’s pre-eminent locations. Office rents across the South have been increasing in recent months and achieving Winchester’s highest recorded rent comes as a result of a continued reduction in quality space coupled with increased demand.”

Goadsby and CBRE advised Gentian.