Take-up in the UK’s big six regional office markets is set to reach 4.5 million sq ft this year, up 15% on 2025, as occupier demand strengthens and supply of prime space tightens, according to JLL’s latest Big Six research.
Aerial view of Manchester skyline.
Office take-up in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester stood at 3.9m sq ft in 2025, below the five-year average of 4m sq ft.
But the report identifies 3.75m sq ft of demand from specific occupiers already in the market, building on momentum in the previous report.
This is supported by 127 active requirements for space above 10,000 sq ft, with five enquiries exceeding 100,000 sq ft.
JLL said it expects 2026 to be a year of renewed momentum for the market, with around a third of businesses expecting to expand their portfolio in the next three years, up from 24% in 2024.
The firm said occupier sentiment is improving and office employment growth is forecast to outpace the UK average across all six cities up to 2030.
Strong demand comes against a backdrop of tightening supply, JLL said, with new-build vacancy rates across the cities now below 2%, while the overall vacancy rate stands at around 7.5%, reflecting a similar situation in the London office market.
Only five new-build office schemes totalling 619,000 sq ft are under construction, with no pre-lets secured off-plan.
JLL reported that including refurbishments, the speculative pipeline amounts to just over 1m sq ft across 16 schemes, well below the level needed to meet projected demand.
Ben Reed, head of UK tenant representation and regional office agency at JLL, said: “The pipeline for 2026 looks materially stronger than 12 months ago, but the challenge is clear – there simply isn’t enough quality space to meet the demand we’re seeing.
“Occupiers are increasingly focused on securing quality space ahead of any further tightening. The cities that can bring forward new supply – whether through speculative development or intelligent refurbishment – will be the ones that capture the growth.”
The supply-demand imbalance is feeding through to prime rents, which rose in every big six city during 2025. Headline rents now range from £41.50/sq ft in Glasgow to £52/sq ft in Bristol and Birmingham, the report said.
JLL is forecasting that rents in all six cities will reach £60/sq ft by 2030, equating to 4.58% average annual rental growth.
It added that space under offer in several cities is expected to set new benchmarks imminently, pointing to rents of £48/sq ft to £55/sq ft.
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