Home Working Leaves King's Cross Desolate

Buildings in King's Cross may never be fully occupied again due to the coronavirus.

15:22 02 August 2020

Facebook and Google's massive offices in King's Cross may never be fully occupied again even after the Covid-19 pandemic. Amid the multibillion-pound investments and architectural feats, there is no guarantee that employees will go back to offices as they have proven that they can be trusted to work from home productively. 

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recently urged people to return to their offices from August 1, in an effort to boost the country's dying lunchtime economy. However, for many companies in King's Cross, they see no rush. Facebook has previously confirmed that its employees won't be returning to their office for the rest of the year. Google, on the other hand, has extended working from home until July 2021 to keep their employees safe from the coronavirus. 

 

Simon Brown, co-owner of House of Cans, said: "I wonder if offices will be back this year - or at all. Particularly with tech and creative companies, the lockdown has proven that remote working can be productive. I'd imagine there'd be nervous landlords out there, wondering if their tenants will be downsizing." 

 

Anthea Harries, head of assets at King's Cross developer Argent LLP, is confident that things will soon go back to normal. She said: "While office workers are key customers for our shops, bars and restaurants, King's Cross is an eclectic neighbourhood, home to students and a thriving residential community. 

 

She added: "We're proud to be a hub for tech businesses. All our offices are open and occupiers are returning to their workplaces, with each business taking an approach which is right for them and their employees."

 

Joanna Shields, CEO of pharmaceutical tech firm BenevolentAI, which moved to its office off Euston Road in 2015, is also confident that King's Cross will survive the crisis. She said: "It's where ideas and real innovation flourish. It offers the draw of one of the greatest knowledge clusters anywhere in the world - connecting us with the world's foremost tech and science organisations. 

 

She added: "Our offices are the epicenter of the collaboration, bonding and ideas sharing that fuels innovation. Returning to the office part-time in recent weeks has already reconnected us to the King's Cross community. I don't believe we'll see the permanent demise of the office - or of the vibrancy of King's Cross - anytime soon."