KPMG has confirmed it is leaving St Albans, while rival insolvency practitioner PwC’s future in the area also looks uncertain.
Private Irish investor Charles Garvy has sold his 15,000 sq ft Aquis Court office block on Fishpool Street, which is leased to KPMG, to St Albans School for £2.9m.
The school has announced plans for a new building on the 1.7-acre site, and KPMG is exiting the facility next year.
Mike Coughtrey, senior partner for KPMG in Hertfordshire, said: “We will be relocating to our larger Watford premises in 2012. Our Watford office is a very modern working environment which has excellent transport links to London and the rest of the country.”
At the same time, Aberdeen Asset Management has put its 26,300 sq ft Bricket House block in St Albans, currently leased to PwC, up for sale at £3.5m.
A PwC spokeswoman said: “The lease of our office building in St Albans does not expire until 2013 and we will no doubt be having discussions with our landlord in due course.”
Elsewhere in St Albans, it is understood that Savills has been appointed to hunt for up to an extra 20,000 sq ft for BSkyB.
KPMG’s landlord was advised by Goodman Mann Broomhall, and Aitchison Raffety represented St Albans school. GVA is acting for Aberdeen Asset Management.
joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
