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Luton Office Space Guide

[Last updated February 2024] A guide looking at serviced offices and office space for rent in Luton as well as providing general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in the town.

For further offices information or to search office space for rent in Luton just click. Or contact us for any other office space query.

History & Geography

Luton is located on the east side of the rolling Chiltern Hills in South East England on the River Lea. Positioned about 30 miles north of London, Luton is one of the most important of the towns surrounding the capital. However, Luton’s origins are fairly modest, the town started life as a Saxon outpost in the 6th century, growing slowly over the subsequent years. By the time the Domesday Book was written in the late 11th century after the Norman invasion, Luton had a population of approximately 800 people, mostly making their living off the local agricultural industry. In the 12th century, Robert, the 1st Earl of Gloucester built St Marys Church in the town centre of Luton, where it has stood since. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Luton was the site of several skirmishes between Royalist and Parliamentary forces, resulting in the deaths of approximately 13 Royalist troops. During the 18th century, the town became famous for its hat-making industry, an industry which continues in Luton to this day, albeit on a much smaller level. The 19th century saw the town’s population increase tenfold. Much of this was due to the prosperity resulting from the town’s industry. In 1834, the town received a gas supply and by 1847, it had gas-powered streetlights and a new town hall. In the 20th century, Luton’s hat trade declined drastically but was replaced by the auto industry when, in 1905, Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the UK. At the same time, Electrolux also opened a plant for household appliances. By 1914, Luton’s population had reached 50,000. During WWII, Luton suffered several air raids due to the presence of its Vauxhall factory. Over one hundred people died and there was much property damage. After the war, much of Luton’s slum housing was cleared and council estates constructed. The town grew and incorporated many of the surrounding villages like Leagrave, Limbury and Stopsley. In 2000, Vauxhall announced the closure of its factory, which had employed over 30,000 people. Currently, Luton is undergoing a regeneration program incorporating improvements to the town’s urban environment.

Economy

Luton’s economy has undergone many changes in the last couple of centuries. The town’s traditional industries of hat-making and brick-making declined in the 20th century and are no longer major industries. Vauxhall Motors still has its headquarters in the town but closed its factory approximately a decade ago. Today, Luton is a major retail venue and is currently undergoing a regeneration scheme which will see the central business district of the town transformed to include a new shopping centre. Luton’s existing mall, the Arndale Centre, was refitted in 2012. A major bulwark of Luton’s economy today is its airport. London Luton Airport is the fourth largest airport serving the London area and sees over 10 million passengers every year. Luton serves as a base for EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Thomson Airways and RyanAir. London Luton Airport and the airlines that are based there are major employers in the area.

Culture

Luton has several parks spread around the town, the two primary ones being Stockwood Park and Wardown Park. Stockwood Park boasts a free museum which houses the Mossman Collection, the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in the UK. The park also has an athletics track, an 18-hole golf course and several rugby pitches. Wardown Park sits on the River Lea and is home to the Wardown Park Museum, which documents the history of Luton’s hat-making industry. Luton is also known for the Luton Carnival, the largest one-day carnival in Europe. Usually, the carnival takes place on the late May bank holiday and is attended by crowds of up to 150,000. Luton also celebrates St Patrick’s Day more than many UK towns, putting on a parade, market stalls and various Irish-themed events. The theatre scene is quite popular in Luton and is based around the Library Theatre and the Hat Factor, an arts venue opened in 2003 in, as the name suggests, a refurbished hat factory. Luton’s football team, Luton Town FC, nicknamed ‘the Hatters’ because of the town’s former hat-making industry, is very popular with the town’s inhabitants. The team plays out of Kenilworth Road stadium and competes in the Championship.

Transportation

Luton benefits from excellent transport links with London and the rest of the country. The town is served by three railway stations – Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and Leagrave, which are all on the same line. East Midlands Trains runs services to Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Sheffield and Leeds. Currently, the city is served by fairly comprehensive bus routes. Luton is also obviously served by London Luton Airport, with connections around the country, Europe and the rest of the world.

 

Office space for rent in Luton

It was noted in 2012 that, due in part to its highly skilled workforce and also its excellent logistical connections, Luton did not suffer as badly as some towns in the economic downturn that started in 2008. In 2012/13 prime office rents in Luton were hovering around the £20 per square foot per year mark, as with the rest of the towns around London.

At the time, Luton was in line for new Grade A office space as the result of the major refurbishment of its central business district.

In 2023, a decade on from when we first started producing this report, the highest-quality office space for rent available in Luton is at Capability Green LU1 which is quoted at £18.50 per square foot.

This is refurbished space that can be provided with partitioning or open plan.

Car parking is also available with most of the offices on the market at Capability Green. The popular business park is located 1 mile from Junction 10 of the M1 Motorway and within 1.5 miles of London Luton Airport. Luton Parkway Railway Station is also less than 1 mile away.

The park has a David Lloyd leisure complex, and high-profile occupiers include AstraZeneca, Randstad, Ernst & Young, and Marriott Hotels. 

The Hat Loft on Mill Yard is another example of refurbished space although the space available is unique and a one-off.

The two-storey former hat factory just off Guildford Street and The Bute offers a self-contained space providing stunning contemporary office accommodation measuring 580 square feet.

The quoting rent for this property was just under £26 per square foot in April 2023.

In February 2024, it was announced that Easyjet had signed for 52,752 square feet of prominent grade-A office space in Luton.

The airline company would make 800 The Boulevard at Capability Green its UK headquarters office.

Several flexible workspace providers in Luton provide high-quality office space solutions both in the town centre and in business park locations including Capability Green.

Options include private serviced office suites, managed offices and corporate coworking memberships.

As opposed to renting office space on a traditional lease, the contracts are short-term licences and the rent is inclusive of all overheads such as service charge and utilities.

 

Our office space search, advisory and acquisition services are FREE, always. Our Luton office space brokers and agents are globally regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) ensuring the highest standards of commercial property advice and service at all times.

The Office Providers are Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

The Office Providers is Regulated by the RICS

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