Ingenuity meets business and what do you have? Office space. It’s not the most interesting of subjects to talk about, and if it’s over a pint, it probably won’t come up as a sticking point for many of us. Indeed, it’s just a bit of a misnomer.
Not in London, that is.
You would be forgiven for thinking this is a settled issue. For centuries, businesses and industries have had some kind of presence in England’s historic capital; it’s been the centre of some remarkable, if controversial, trading companies, stock-and-shares icons, and a few trouble makers, too. There is plenty of space, and plenty of room for more, because of this historic legacy of administrative space-making warfare that we’ve waged for quite some time, in fact.
Indeed, this lust for more power has not abated, and up have risen tower after tower, symbolising we-don’t-quite-know-what at the same time as welfarism, and the State, which seems hell bent on making itself known as the breadwinner in British politics (even the funny names for these skyscrapers don’t give much away as to their purpose).
Take for example the new development of ‘Paddington Central’, in central London. It’s not in a nondescript, far-flung place, but it is largely – if not by majority – empty. I’ve taken a look myself, and apart from some statement buildings at the front of the development, and a few more tucked away, there’s not much else to it, and it’s just Visa that seems to have a presence anywhere, there (take a look at the photos).
This is a strange sight, but not an uncommon question to beg, in 21st century London. Yes, it’s pricy land, but it’s our land, and what’s being built on it is private property. In fact, it’s commercial private property, and yet it’s lying fallow without much intent behind it. Is there a reason for this unoccupied space, or is office space more of an art or a technique than I realised?
If you take a look around, it’s an odd mix of buildings, or use of space. A few outlets you might recognise, such as Pret A Manger and Gregg’s bakery, and then a really upmarket restaurant tucked right at the back of the development, hardly visible to anyone (there isn’t a passageway direct to it, apart from beside a hotel, nearby, I think).
Apart from that, I noticed plenty of office space but not much usefulness to the site, obviously that is (there’s an art installation, but it’s looking tired already).
I wonder what all these developments are for, when the footfall is so low, in business terms, and there’s a lack of harmony in regard to the choice and layout of these places. In my opinion, it doesn’t seem clear if even Visa know what they’re doing there. I would have expected a payments company to site themselves in a finance cluster, not a half-full ‘spot’ in Paddington, somewhere.
In the rush to build up, what are we getting in return for this private investment? Probably not a lot, as yet (I’ve got a Gregg’s nearby, some might say). The jobs are high-end, and the work environments demand a lot (it’s not a matter of a run-of-the-mill job).
The problem with London is that it sees itself too highly, and it builds to compete with itself, rather than other places, where the focus is on home-grown industries, and a sense of rightness with its own goals, and aspirations. If we have a problem, it’s knowing what business is, here, not knowing where to put it.
