_The UK’s regions are key to getting workers back to the office

For businesses, travel to the office via public transport is a major consideration and, for some, an area of vulnerability. Businesses located in markets of least reliance on public transport, such as many of the UK regional cities and business parks, could encounter a smoother return. 85% of workers in regional cities do not use public transport to get to work and of those 15% who do, many of these journeys can be replaced with alternative means of transport, such as walking or cycling.

Sustainability agenda must remain front and centre

However, we need to continue to ensure that the ever-important sustainability agenda doesn’t fall to the wayside and remains top priority when making these decisions.

Whilst employees working in regional cities and business parks are more inclined to drive to work, we need to assess the impact on the environment if a greater number of people begin to do so following the pandemic.

Nevertheless, cities are continuously putting policies in place to combat this – for example, Bristol’s diesel car ban and the introduction of Clean Air Zones in Manchester and Birmingham. Equally, with the government’s plans to boost greener and more active transport, workers across the UK more inclined than ever to leave their cars at home.

Lower density regional offices may prove more accessible

Office design is also proving a factor in enabling office re-occupancy. Why? Fewer floors mean staircase access is a viable option, thus reducing human traffic congestion at lifts. In the UK’s regional cities, 90% of offices are below 10 storeys – a fact that could prove conducive to permitting and encouraging quicker re-occupancy.

Another factor to consider is connectivity. Good digital connectivity has enabled business continuity throughout the working from home experiment we have all participated in these past few months. Covid-19 has led to higher demands on broadband and we are likely to see increased impetus to develop fibre infrastructure across the UK.

As travel restrictions still apply, the importance of digital connectivity in offices and city centres is significant. With Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff having faster mean download speeds than London and Manchester providing the best 4G coverage outside of the capital, the regional cities are well equipped to deal with this demand. Manchester’s location also places it at the intersection of the UK’s highly resilient “figure-of-eight” fibre optic network, resulting in many of the city’s key developments and office schemes having access to speeds of up to 10Gbps.

Could occupiers spread workforces across small regional offices?

Additionally, whilst businesses begin to reassess their office structures to accommodate more flexible ways of working, companies will give greater attention to operational risk in the aftermath of the pandemic. This could ultimately drive additional demand into the UK Cities, as business strategies may conclude that spreading workforces across a greater number of smaller regional offices could improve resilience.

As we are all aware, working from home has proved an effective stand-in for the office during an extremely testing time, and will no doubt be a component of businesses’ operational structures moving forward. However, it is not a wholesale replacement.

The office undoubtedly plays a hugely important role in our lives, for both the wellbeing of employees and the health of businesses. The UK’s regional cities are extremely well placed to facilitate the transition back to the office that many workers are so eager to see happen.

Alastair Graham-Campbell is head of UK Cities and partner at Knight Frank.