A national company seeking extra room for its expanding Newcastle team has completed an office letting at Citygate II in Newcastle city centre – taking the building to 100% occupancy.
On behalf of the landlord, Topland Vintage – part of one of the UK’s largest privately owned investment companies – Knight Frank has let a 1,582 sq. ft. suite to national built-environment consultancy, Ridge. Savills acted as joint agent.
Ridge, which has 16 offices nationwide, is moving from The Spire on Pilgrim Street into a fully-fitted, high specification, third-floor office at Citygate II with 16 workstations, an eight-person meeting room, two videocall pods, a large kitchen and breakout space.
A key benefit for the firm was being able to move straight in, avoiding the upfront costs and time associated with fitting out a new office.
The Ridge deal was completed in just over two months – from initial contact through to lease completion – which is an unusually short timeframe in the current market, where office transactions are typically taking upwards of six months, minimum.
As well as brokering the deal, Knight Frank project managed the fit-out works.
The letting completes a leasing campaign on the third floor south of City Gate II (7,000 sq. ft.) which included letting 5,123 sq. ft. to international engineering group, Jacobs, in October 2025.
Citygate II is one of Newcastle city centre’s prime office locations, situated on St James Boulevard and constructed in the early 2000’s. It has recently undergone significant upgrade works to the common areas and some office spaces and is home to several high-profile tenants, including EY and both Grainger plc and UNW which have recently restructured their respective leases to expiry dates in 2032 and 2034.
Major consultancy, Arup, has also recently taken 20,000 sq. ft. on a 15-year lease in nearby City Gate I – all reinforcing the City Gate area as a key location in Newcastle’s CBD.
Steve Pope Group Director at Topland, said: “We are delighted to complete our leasing activity at City Gate II and to welcome such great new occupiers in Ridge and Jacobs, to complement our roster of excellent tenants.”
Patrick Matheson, partner at Knight Frank, said: “This was a particularly positive transaction, not least because of the speed at which it came together.
“The letting highlights the continued appeal of high-spec, fitted and ready-to-occupy office accommodation, as businesses increasingly look for solutions that can provide greater cost certainty and reduce the time required to establish a new workplace.”
Paul Heron, partner at Ridge, comments: “Over the past 12 months, our Newcastle team has grown faster than anticipated, making it the right time to find a space that supports our continued expansion.
“It was important to us to create a workplace our team can be proud of while remaining close to our clients in the city centre. Our new office delivers both, providing the room we need to grow over the coming years from a prime location in the heart of Newcastle.”