An overview of the commercial property market in St Albans

Situated just 22 miles north of central London, St Albans is a well-respected city and popular for London commuters. The majority of St Albans is residential with property prices being very high for its immediate surroundings. The reasons behind the premium is due to the great travel links to London and the M25, the high level of schooling in the area and the retail available in the city.

St Alban's city centre hosts a large shopping area with a huge range of shops ranging from low to high end retail. Alongside retail, St Albans has also become popular for a wide range of smaller businesses, from finance and legal practices to design and internet marketing. With house prices at a premium and land always receiving high demand, real estate companies, both local and national, also make up some of the industry within the city.

Commercial property and space is very varied in St Albans, ranging from small areas above the shops in the high street to large office developments, such as Horseshoe Business Park, just outside the city. Retail units are plentiful both in and around the city with rents decreasing the further out the location.

St Albans has a large choice of serviced office space where small areas of office space can be rented by the month. This can range from a seat at a desk to a few desks within a sectioned off office area. Office facilities such as phone lines, internet, meeting rooms and networks will already be installed in the spaces and so are easy to set up in. Additionally, for an extra fee, calls can be screened by a receptionist who can see which company is being contacted, answer appropriately and either take a message or forward the call on. This can make a company seem much larger or more professional even in its early days. Prices for serviced office space in St Albans range from £250-800 per month depending on services, facilities, location and office space required.

About St Albans History

As the oldest city in the county of Hertfordshire, St Albans has had inhabitants for over 2000 years. In the Iron Age, before the name St Albans, the settlement the modern city now sits on was known as Verlamion which develop din Verulamium after the Romans conquered Britain in the year AD43. At this time, the town grew and was actually recorded as one of the biggest towns in Roman Britain. However, at this time, the town was built of wood and was almost completely destroyed during a revolt in AD61. During the rebuilding, the town introduced its' first public buildings and town houses and eventually was surrounded by a defensive wall.

The Romans left is the year AD410 and the city fell into disrepair until the building materials began to be used to build a new monastery. This monastery was just up the hill from the town centre and began to be the centrepiece for a new market settlement, named St Albans. The name was given as a memorial to the very first British Christian martyr who was executed during AD250 as he spread his faith.

The St Albans abbey was built is AD793, further increasing the town's population. Over the years and centuries, the abbey was extended and new areas built. One of the most notable events to occur at the St Albans abbey is the first draft of the Magna Carta being written there in 1213.

Moving on a few centuries and St Albans developed many pubs and inns as it became the first stop on the coaching route heading north from London and during the 19th century, several main roads were added to make access to the town easier. In 1877, the town was upgraded to city status when Queen Victoria granted permission for the Abbey Church to be changed to a cathedral.

Most notable areas

St Peters Street – Running through the city centre, St Peters Street is wall to wall high street shopping with all the usual favourites as well as some boutique stores in fashion, homeware and gifts. There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants dotted along the street. Additionally, there are many small office spaces available above the shops.

Christopher Place – A small shopping area, set just behind the high street, Christopher Place is full of shops mainly with higher end fashion and cosmetics. The majority of stores are aimed at females and stores include Space NK, Chesca and Cath Kidson.