Construction of the first flagship UK government hub ‘Queen Elizabeth House’ is complete. Located near Waverley Station in the heart of Edinburgh, the seven-storey, 190,000 square feet, ultra-modern office space will house nearly 3,000 civil servants from 11 departments; to deliver a bigger, better and more coordinated service to people and businesses.
This follows the official key handover ceremony on 13th June 2019 when the building contractor, Artisan, completed the physical building works, prior to the internal fitting out work commencing. HMRC has delivered the project after the internal fitting was done and the building is now ready for occupation.
The completion was marked by a visit from the Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack. He was joined on a tour of the facility, which includes Scotland’s first dedicated UK Government Cabinet meeting room, by UK Government Ministers for Scotland David Duguid and Iain Stewart as well the Advocate General for Scotland, Lord Keen.
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The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (OSSS) and the Office of the Advocate General, will be joined in the hub by other UK Government departments and bodies including HMRC, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, the Office for Statistics Regulation, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Government Actuary’s Department. Additional UK government departments are expected to confirm occupancy in the coming months. The OSSS continues to work with partners to ensure the building is fully occupied as quickly as possible once COVID-19 conditions allow.
The government hubs
Work is also underway on a Glasgow Hub. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Hubs are a key part of the UK Government’s commitment to delivering excellent public services for people in Scotland, building a strong civil service outside London and leading the way in regional regeneration.
Can the public visit inside Queen Elizabeth House?