City office block almost fully let after pension fund moves in
A new city office block that hosts a Government department is almost fully let after one of the UK's largest pension funds signed a deal to take over two floors.
West Midlands Pension Fund (WMPF) has announced it is to station 180 staff at the i9 building in Wolverhampton city centre, which is home to the Government's Housing Ministry's regional headquarters.
The fund, which is administered by Wolverhampton Council and has 340,000 members across the region, joins another pensions firm, LGPS Central Limited, which is moving 70 staff to the site.
WMPF is moving its staff to i9 after coming to the end of its lease at Mander House.
Pensions Committee chair, Councillor Milkinder Jaspal, said: "We are actively supporting our pension fund members in retirement planning and key to our priorities is supporting individuals to plan for their retirement. i9 offers the perfect location.
"The building was an important factor in our selection – we are committed to working with the landlord and neighbouring tenants to ensure we retain the same standards of sustainability that we are setting for our own property investments."
WMPF will occupy the second and third floors of the development, while the Housing and Communities Ministry is taking over the ground and fourth floors.
Wolverhampton Council deputy leader and city economy chief, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said landing the fund as a tenant at i9 was "a huge feather in the city’s cap".
Following the departure of WMPF staff, the future of Mander House – considered a landmark site in the city – remains unclear.
It has been suggested that bosses may be examining the possibility of redeveloping it for retail purposes.
