Google Kings Cross Base Set For 2015 Opening

Google is reportedly close to basing its UK headquarters in Kings Cross, London, as part of a multi-million pound deal.

Google’s UK headquarters are currently on Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria, but according to the Daily Telegraph, the tech giant is close to finalising a deal that will see it build a new UK headquarters at the North London destination.

Google Kings Cross HQ

Google is reported to be planning on building a 700,000 sq ft site at the King’s Cross Central development, when it buys the location on a 999-year lease for more than £550m. Meanwhile, Property Week states that Google hopes to sign the paperwork before 22 November, which is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

It is not clear at this stage whether Google plans to build a single building, or a number of buildings in a campus-style layout, located to the north of Kings Cross train station. Whatever it decides, Google’s move into King Cross will be welcomed by many, as the area undergoes a regeneration programme.

The Google King Cross HQ should be up and running by 2015.

Besides Google’s current headquarters in Victoria, where its lease is close to expiring, Google also has an office in Soho just off Soho Square.

Last September Google took a ten-year lease on a seven floor building located in London’s Tech City.

That building, located in the Old Street area (namely Bonhill Street) is being used to provide office space for other start-ups and entrepreneurs. It also plays host to a range of activities, with speaker events, hackathons, training workshops and product demonstrations.

London Calling

London is proving to be a popular destination for US companies. Tech City, in the east of London, has gained investment from Cisco, Yammer and others. And the area has also been considered for Twitter’s European headquarters.

Last September, Google opened its first ever retail store inside the PC World outlet at Tottenham Court Road in London. The 285 square foot “shop within a shop”, dubbed the Chromezone, is used to showcase and flog Chromebook devices running Google’s Chrome operating system.

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