HMRC confirms location of Stratford Regional Centre

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has formally signed an agreement to lease 14 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London for 25 years. The 240,000 square feet. office space will accommodate around 3,800 HMRC employees from late 2020.

Westfield Avenue is the ninth lease that HMRC has signed out of the 13 regional centres announced as part of its transformation to be a tax authority fit for the future. HMRC is investing in the best of modern technology and basing its people in modern offices, as it creates better, more modern customer services and makes it harder for the dishonest minority to cheat the system.

Jon Thompson, Chief Executive of HMRC, said:

“HMRC has a long-established presence in London and this regional centre in Stratford marks the next step in HMRC’s transformation into a modern, digitally-advanced tax authority. It will bring compliance teams together with sophisticated IT and data analytics to increase our effectiveness in cracking down on tax cheats.

“We are delighted to have agreed terms for the building in Westfield Avenue and to have made a commitment to our new location in Stratford. As part of the process we will see around 3,800 staff come together in state-of-the-art facilities, and make HMRC an important contributor to the economy and communities in and around Stratford.”

The move is part of the wider Government Hubs Programme, which is transforming how the Government uses property.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said:

“We are investing in multi-departmental hubs across the UK so that even more civil servants will be able to work in modern, flexible office space. Hubs will operate in London and around the country, empowering civil servants to work in smarter ways to deliver better public services from every corner of the UK.”

14 Westfield Avenue will be a new commercial space located in the heart of Stratford, next to Westfield Stratford City and a short distance from Stratford tube and railway stations. The 12 storey building is developed by Westfield Europe Development limited. HMRC will be located on the top eight floors.

Stratford will also be home to a new customer laboratory to help HMRC test new services with customers, for example, by observing how they interact with the tax authority online. The department has worked closely with colleagues in customer compliance to ensure that Stratford will be a state-of-the-art intelligence centre, with all the security specification that involves.

Notes for Editors

1.The building will be subject to a 25 year lease on around 240,000 sq. ft.

2.The Government Property Unit (GPU), part of the Cabinet Office, is working with government departments to transform the government estate to drive efficiencies for the taxpayer, boost the UK economy by freeing up much needed land and property, and provide a modern working environment for civil servants.

3.HMRC was advised by JLL on suitable locations for the Stratford regional centre.

4.The building is being developed by Westfield Europe Development Ltd.

5.HMRC is satisfied the deal represents the best value for money for the taxpayer.

6.HMRCannouncementmade in November 2015 about the location of all the regional centres.

7.HMRC’s Flickr channel: www.flickr.com/hmrcgovuk

8.Follow HMRC’s Press Office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice