Following the official opening of Building 1 of the controversial six-block development last month, Senator Alan Maclean said that he expected more tenants to sign leases in the near future – including businesses moving to Jersey.
So far three tenants – UBS, BNP and Sanne – have been confirmed as moving into the Finance Centre, with all three relocating from other Jersey offices.
However, Lee Henry, managing director of the Jersey Development Company, said that there had been interest from other companies following the completion of the building and added that new lettings would be announced once legal arrangements had been confirmed.
In 2015 about 2,000 Islanders gathered around the Esplanade car park to create a ‘ring of defiance’ in protest against the project while concerns were also raised about the number of pre-let agreements that had been signed and the use of the Waterfront for office buildings.
Senator Maclean said that the early public backlash against the plans might have put some investors off but he added that now that the first building was complete, more businesses were likely to be looking at the Island.
He said: ‘I think we are going to see the level of inquiries from inward investors increase because there is something tangible there. When these companies make decisions they need a degree of certainty, and having the building there gives them that.
‘If they are looking to relocate somewhere and they see that there are protests and questions over whether it will be built then that is a difficult sell to inward investors.
‘Now it is up, I think there will be a change as to how quickly it fills up and what businesses move in.’
The second building – known as Building 5 – is under construction, with Sanne set to move in once it is completed. UBS has moved in to Building One and BNP are in the process of relocating to the block.
