Birdcage Walk HQ Programme Board

The content on this page is to inform IMechE members of the latest publicly available work on the decision surrounding the building on Birdcage Walk. It will be continuously updated as and when new information is available.

HQ Programme Board overview

Our Birdcage Walk headquarters are over 120 years old and in urgent need of refurbishment for us to continue to operate there. 

A Working Group was set up in May 2022 to examine a range of options for the building, using the earlier work of the Real Estate Strategy Group as the start point. They looked in particular at how Birdcage Walk fits into our long-term strategy and business plans. 

Their work finished in March 2023 and the Group concluded that the two strongest options are: 

• Refurbish 1 Birdcage Walk using funds from the sale of 8-12 Old Queen Street and a long lease of 3 Birdcage Walk, or
• Sell the whole Birdcage Walk estate and either lease or buy an appropriately sized building elsewhere in central London.

An HQ Programme Board, chaired by Past President Peter Flinn, was set up in May 2023 to carry out further work on the two options requested by the Trustee Board, using professional external resources, and to make a recommendation to the Trustee Board. The aim is to conclude this before the end of 2023.

A decision regarding the future of Birdcage Walk may need the approval of two thirds of members in a special meeting. If a member vote is needed, we would aim to hold a this in early 2024. 

For a more detailed update about Birdcage Walk, please read this article in Professional Engineering

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