Facebook in talks to lease London King's Cross offices

The tech giant eyes up office space near the headquarters of Google

St Pancras International is just a stones throw away from Facebook's potential new office space (PA Archive/PA Images)

Facebook is in negotiations to lease a new London office close to the planned headquarters of Google, two people with knowledge of the talks said.

The company plans to lease at least 400,000 square feet (37,000 square meters) of space at the King’s Cross Central development, where Google parent Alphabet will develop its new UK headquarters, the people said, asking not to be identified because the talks are ongoing.

The size of the lease could change and it’s not certain a deal will be completed, they said.

A spokeswoman for Argent, which is developing the project, and a representative for Menlo Park, California-based Facebook declined to comment.

The world’s largest technology companies, including Apple and Amazon, have leased major new offices in the capital, lured by the abundance of skilled young workers.

Apple plans to move staff into a new London headquarters at the Battersea Power Station project, and Amazon has recently begun moving staff into a new UK base in the Shoreditch district on the edge of the City of London.

Facebook has already signed an agreement to lease a large UK office close to Oxford Street.

It’s currently under construction.

Bloomberg