From Heathrow to Hemel Hempstead – here’s a peek at the UK’s growing coworking landscape

Here, we toot the horn of two outstanding UK Spaces locations on the outskirts of London – one to the northwest in Hemel Hempstead, the other to the southwest, moments from Heathrow Airport.

A 50-minute drive apart (traffic-permitting…), these are very different spaces, with each community reflecting its locale and the distinct personality of its home turf. But at the same time the Spaces family resemblance is there. Both are community-driven, innovation-friendly and conveniently located for local British entrepreneurs looking to grow. And they give a great snapshot into what the UK’s coworking scene looks like today.

Spaces The Maylands – Hemel Hempstead

Just off the M1, with dead-easy access to the M25 (the motorway that circles around London, Spaces The Maylands delivers what coworking in Hertfordshire’s small business owners are looking for opportunities to meet useful contacts, a quality workspace that inspires them to achieve, and a direct train line into London for city-centre appointments.

“Our community is made up of IT companies, startups, recruitment businesses, graphic designers, therapists, a travel agency and sales teams,” says Gráinne Buckley, Area Sales Manager. With three private meeting rooms, lots of breakout space, and a business club for members, there are myriad ways for members to crack on with their next project. But one section of Spaces The Maylands is proving extremely popular. “The Hertfordshire’s coworking trend within the Hemel Hempstead area was so highly sought-after, we’ve created another one,” says Buckley. And, in keeping with Spaces’ fervent belief that a workspace should be a lifestyle choice, there’s also a roof terrace, an on-site artisan café and even a Pilates studio, complete with showers and lockers.

A lively social calendar is another signature touchpoint for Spaces The Maylands. “We hold a minimum of three events per month – either in-house or outsourced,” says Buckley,” so networking is always an option. And we have various tenants that use our space to host their own networking groups, training sessions and business celebrations.”

What about Spaces members from further afield who are passing through the area? “They can hire our private meeting rooms by the hour or daily,” says Buckley. “They can use our Business Club and Glass House to host meetings, or if they are just nearby and need to get a little work done. The phone booths are handy for anyone taking a conference call, or if they just need a little time to think!”

Spaces Heathrow Airport

Just down the M25 from Spaces The Maylands is Spaces Heathrow Airport, which enjoys a cracking location within The Bower building on Stockley Park. Being ten minutes from a European aviation hub, Spaces members have some global players as neighbours within the business park.

“The business park has large corporate occupiers just outside of Heathrow Airport – including Canon, Sharp, Suntory (Lucozade), IMG Media, Gilead, Marks & Spencer and Hasbro,” says Laura Embleton, Area Manager Team Leader – M25 North. “The area attracts big businesses as well as small startups looking to grow, or with links to the major corporates. And a lot of businesses with links to Heathrow.”

As with Spaces The Maylands, the fledgling businesses at Spaces Heathrow Airport love using the buzzing communal areas and other Heathrow office space solutions. “Our community is mainly local businesses using the club area and coworking space,” says Embleton. “Meanwhile, software companies occupy some of the larger occupied offices.”

As well as easy access to the airport, a key selling point for members is the chance to mingle with some of the multinationals based at Stockley Park who also make use of Spaces’ top-notch facilities. What kind of networking events take place to integrate tenants into the local business ecosystem? “We host local chamber events encouraging members to showcase their products and host their own events,” says Embleton. “We also work with the business park management team to host events for all tenants on the park who use our Heathrow meeting rooms on an ad hoc basis.”

What’s more, Spaces members can also enjoy Heathrow’s virtual offices, which offer a selection of services including mail handling, a prestigious address and telephone answering to ensure your network expands.

Check out our inspiring workspaces in the United Kingdom.