Office Fit-Out & Refurbishment Lakeside

Yes — any non-trivial alterations to leased premises at Lakeside Business Village or other managed estates in Thurrock require a formal Licence to Alter signed by the landlord before works can begin. The submission requires architectural drawings, M&E impact assessments confirming that new partitions won't disrupt air conditioning distribution or fire detection, a Construction Phase Plan, RAMS and proof of contractor insurance. We prepare and submit the full package and manage the landlord's surveyor through to sign-off.

Cat A is the base condition a landlord delivers at the start of a lease — building services (HVAC, electrical distribution, fire alarm) installed and commissioned, suspended ceiling grid in place, raised access floor fitted where applicable, and the space otherwise an open shell. Cat B is the tenant fit-out layered on top: internal partitions, kitchen or tea point, meeting rooms, specialist lighting, data cabling, acoustic treatments and branding. At Lakeside Business Village and similar Chafford Hundred business parks, landlords typically deliver space to Cat A standard. You commission the Cat B.

Costs vary by location and specification level. Cosmetic refreshment at a serviced office in Grays or Tilbury runs £35–55 per sq ft. A full Cat B fit-out at Lakeside Business Village or Chafford Hundred business parks costs £55–80 per sq ft. Industrial-office hybrid fit-outs in West Thurrock — requiring acoustic insulation, LVT flooring and intumescent paint — typically run £45–70 per sq ft. Corporate headquarters or port administration fit-outs at London Gateway reach £80–130 per sq ft. Out-of-hours working requirements add cost. All ranges are exclusive of VAT. We provide a fixed-price quote after a free site survey, typically within 3–5 working days.

The M25 J30/31 and Dartford Crossing are a genuine programme risk. Delays of 50 minutes or more are common, particularly around incidents at the crossing, and arriving late with a heavy delivery — glass partitions, raised floor panels, structural steelwork — can mean aborted loads and wasted labour. We schedule all heavy deliveries in the 10:00–15:00 shoulder window to avoid peak congestion, build float into the programme for Dartford incidents, pre-book delivery windows with estate management, and arrange contractor parking permits for any works in Grays CPZ. Logistics planning is part of every Thurrock project scope, not an afterthought.

Yes — this is a specialism. In West Thurrock (RM20), offices integrated into warehouse and logistics facilities require a different approach to standard commercial fit-out. We specify acoustic partitioning rated for industrial noise levels, LVT or resilient vinyl flooring (Polyflor, Altro) that handles industrial dust, moisture and cleaning chemicals, and apply or maintain intumescent paint on structural steelwork where required for fire compliance. We also design and build the clean-to-dirty zone transition — the boundary between office and warehouse — with appropriate draught lobbies, flooring transitions and acoustic seals.

Thurrock landlords are commercially incentivised to enforce reinstatement strictly. With office availability at a historic low of 4.5%, void periods are expensive — meaning landlords will serve a full Schedule of Dilapidations and pursue a Quantified Demand if you don't act first. You will typically be required to remove all Cat B alterations and reinstate the space to its original Cat A condition. Critically, reinstatement of tenant alterations is not subject to the Section 18(1) cap on dilapidations damages — landlords can insist on the full cost. Running a dilapidations audit at least 12 months before lease end, and carrying out the works yourself, is almost always more cost-effective than settling the landlord's claim with its professional fee margins added on top.

If you are occupying space within or near the Thames Freeport tax sites at Tilbury, London Gateway or Ford Dagenham, yes. Freeport occupiers are eligible for business rate and SDLT relief, which is driving investment in higher-specification, sustainable fit-outs. The Freeport's Sustainable Construction Programme — launched November 2025 — also creates a reputational incentive to demonstrate green credentials. In practice, this means specifying LED lighting with PIR and daylight sensing, smart HVAC controls, low-VOC flooring materials and EPC-improving M&E systems. We include LED with PIR as a baseline standard on every project, and can advise on the broader specification upgrades that support EPC C by 2027 and EPC B by 2030 compliance.