HMRC Benton Park

[Iamdave]

As others have said it's currently based on length of service but in the process of changing to points based system, the further away you live and more caring responsibilities you have the better the chance of getting a pass.

If you don't get one the Four Lane Ends metro station is your best bet, just a quid to park all day and a 10 minute walk from the site though you'll need to get there at a decent time (or did pre-covid anyway).

BPV is awful to get to from south of the Tyne.

 

[Cee Jay]

As others have said it's currently based on length of service but in the process of changing to points based system, the further away you live and more caring responsibilities you have the better the chance of getting a pass.

If you don't get one the Four Lane Ends metro station is your best bet, just a quid to park all day and a 10 minute walk from the site though you'll need to get there at a decent time (or did pre-covid anyway).

BPV is awful to get to from south of the Tyne.

This is correct
Having some involvement in focus groups/dial ins and BUG meetings, this is coming in and seniority will have no bearing on allocation of parking passes.
Will be points based ( 1 point per minute of journey plus 25 I believe for each caring responsibility up to 25 for kids runs etc and 25 for other caring roles)
car sharing guaranteed a space
Exclusion zones set around the office ( so even if car sharing and you live near you can't get a pass)

The opening poster has got a fair chance of getting a pass if his journey is longer than others. You can apply for a pass either under car sharing or a points based system but not both.

The expected increase in WFH may complicate things as this will be expected to increase and MAY create more spaces, but harder to administer

 

[TopCat]

Any parking for staff? Just got myself a job offer, no start date for the time being but it only now occurred to me that I don't know the area at all. It's already a canny long commute so it'd be a bit of a ballache if I had to also get a metro or something.

There is a big multi-storey car park at Four Lane Ends Metro station. Am sure it's £1 a day (or at least it used to be) and both sites (Benton/Longbenton) are walkable from FLE (10 mins).
If you are coming from South or the river, then it's up through the tunnel, onto the coast road and up Benton Road. 10/15 mins from the tunnel exit

As others have said it's currently based on length of service but in the process of changing to points based system, the further away you live and more caring responsibilities you have the better the chance of getting a pass.

If you don't get one the Four Lane Ends metro station is your best bet, just a quid to park all day and a 10 minute walk from the site though you'll need to get there at a decent time (or did pre-covid anyway).

BPV is awful to get to from south of the Tyne.

Aye. What he said

 

[Gronkowski]

As pretty much everyone has said, best bet Is four lane ends metro for £1 per day, 5/10 minute walk to site. No Chance of a space unless system changes.
Free for all parking at the minute tho as very few people in the office.
Only just rejoined HMRC myself after 10 years, WFH for the foreseeable like

 

[The Truth]

As pretty much everyone has said, best bet Is four lane ends metro for £1 per day, 5/10 minute walk to site. No Chance of a space unless system changes.
Free for all parking at the minute tho as very few people in the office.
Only just rejoined HMRC myself after 10 years, WFH for the foreseeable like

I would add as a caveat that when people are back working in the office you'll have to be parked at four lane ends by probably 8.30am at the very latest to have a chance of getting a space in there.

 

[houghton cut head]

Aren’t they reviewing the long Benton site and looking at relocating into Newcastle city centre?

Not necessarily Newcastle City Centre; plenty of cheaper space in Sunderland and still within reasonable travelling distance, one of many options available so they reckon

 

[pavarotti1980]

Any parking for staff? Just got myself a job offer, no start date for the time being but it only now occurred to me that I don't know the area at all. It's already a canny long commute so it'd be a bit of a ballache if I had to also get a metro or something.

Get the metro to Benton and walk the 1/2 mile and save the hassle of driving and parking.

 

[Nookie Bear]

Not necessarily Newcastle City Centre; plenty of cheaper space in Sunderland and still within reasonable travelling distance, one of many options available so they reckon

The vaux site would be a topper commute for me like , think we’ll be at home til spring as it stands

 

[Osklen]

Not necessarily Newcastle City Centre; plenty of cheaper space in Sunderland and still within reasonable travelling distance, one of many options available so they reckon

it would be great to come to Sunderland but heard that they are specific to it being in Newcastle although that may have stretched to another location close to a mainline train station. Proximity to mainline station seems to be a prerequisite.

 

[Maxie]

it would be great to come to Sunderland but heard that they are specific to it being in Newcastle although that may have stretched to another location close to a mainline train station. Proximity to mainline station seems to be a prerequisite.

This is all news to me like. NOT using BPV. Not sure about others in the thread (who are obviously quite knowledgeable and work there)

 

[Nookie Bear]

This is all news to me like. NOT using BPV. Not sure about others in the thread (who are obviously quite knowledgeable and work there)

The lease is up and it was communicated that the landlords weren’t negotiating prior to Covid , now with huge numbers working from home I think they’d be crazy not to look at alternative sites - at the very least it may produce a better deal to stay on BPV in some capacity

 

[Gronkowski]

They would do well to look at alternative sites. Unless you live on North Tyneside, and with the parking situation, it’s a ballache of a commute

 

[Osklen]

This is all news to me like. NOT using BPV. Not sure about others in the thread (who are obviously quite knowledgeable and work there)

As I said earlier there was a property enquiry around last year but business often do that to test the market in order to negotiate with their current landlord. Also it may have just been part of govt stunt to level up the north east and suggest people were to go into new buildings. It would make sense to move to a more flexible office space if the accommodation is as poor as some are suggesting.

 

[Cappuccino Kid]

They would do well to look at alternative sites. Unless you live on North Tyneside, and with the parking situation, it’s a ballache of a commute

If you can get to a Metro station no bother (and obv not against having to use public transport), then its a piss easy commute imo.

The main gripe for me is having to change Metro for one stop. I don't understand why they can't alternate just the trains from Sunderland/South Shields that go to Airport/Coast.

 

[DearRatBoy]

it would be great to come to Sunderland but heard that they are specific to it being in Newcastle although that may have stretched to another location close to a mainline train station. Proximity to mainline station seems to be a prerequisite.

From what I remember of the announcement they made, WvP's lease ends in 24-25 so they'll either extend it another 5 years or look elsewhere. They'll not get everyone into Benton, it was going to be tight as the staff leaving or not wanting to commute wasn't as high as they planned, now you have even more recruitment going on.

Similar in DWP from what I hear, they were planning a reorganisation but now have a shortage of office space.

 

[Gronkowski]

If you can get to a Metro station no bother (and obv not against having to use public transport), then its a piss easy commute imo.

The main gripe for me is having to change Metro for one stop. I don't understand why they can't alternate just the trains from Sunderland/South Shields that go to Airport/Coast.

aye if you live near a metro then it’s not too bad, other than the hour it takes each way, then there’s the lottery of the metro actually working on any given day...
I live nowhere near a metro now, so it’s not an option

 

[Cee Jay]

From what I remember of the announcement they made, WvP's lease ends in 24-25 so they'll either extend it another 5 years or look elsewhere. They'll not get everyone into Benton, it was going to be tight as the staff leaving or not wanting to commute wasn't as high as they planned, now you have even more recruitment going on.

Similar in DWP from what I hear, they were planning a reorganisation but now have a shortage of office space.

Why do you think pay reform is suggesting evening and weekend working ?
An obvious way of fitting more staff into over capacity offices.
Indeed Jim Harra mentioned months ago
" we have nice new modern offices standing empty on evenings and weekends"

 

[errant]

Proximity to mainline station seems to be a prerequisite.

the rumour that passed my ears involved a site west of central station becoming vacant once an entertainment complex was constructed next to the sage on the quayside...

 

[Cappuccino Kid]

aye if you live near a metro then it’s not too bad, other than the hour it takes each way, then there’s the lottery of the metro actually working on any given day...
I live nowhere near a metro now, so it’s not an option

Surely that issue is going to be prevalent wherever they move to though. Say it's the city centre where there will only be visitor parking (in line with all the other regional centres). That'll be even more of a ballache driving-wise, then add the cost of city centre parking.

 

[Osklen]

the rumour that passed my ears involved a site west of central station becoming vacant once an entertainment complex was constructed next to the sage on the quayside...

I heard there are several sites bidding for this all competing with one another. One site being on the wear but now Sunderland. I guess the main issue will be deliverability by a given date and flexibility to meet how the civil service working practices will change. Guess they had a plan pre-Covid but a completely new one now.
That should have read *not sunderland