South London has something for everyone, whether it’s small studios in Brixton or Peckham or larger offices in Bromley or Croydon. Relocating offices in the city has its challenges, but South London has some quirks that trip up businesses that have never moved there before. On the first day of the move, logistics either make for a successful move or a week of total lost productivity.
Why South London Moves Are Different
As opposed to the West End and the city, South London doesn’t have a main business central district, instead businesses are scattered across an amalgam of high streets, retail and industrial parks in areas such as Streatham, Croydon, and Tooting. Because of this, business move route planning is a necessary activity, as the time it takes to get from location to location varies tremendously due to river crossings and the time of day. A business that moves from Vauxhall to a new location near Purley is going to have a completely different move from another business moving to a location within the same postal area.
Access, Parking and Loading Restrictions
Many South London high streets have loading restrictions during peak hours and resident side streets of businesses have permit parking schemes. It’s wise to contact the local council to see if a temporary parking suspension or loading bay booking has to be made for the removal vehicle. Also, some buildings in Balham and Herne Hill can have narrow staircases, and older converted buildings can have limited elevator access. It is wise to do a site survey because it can take a long time to move stairs.
- Confirm parking suspension or loading bay bookings with the relevant council in advance
- Check lift dimensions and staircase widths at both the old and new premises
- Agree access times with building management if you’re in a shared or serviced office
- Notify neighbouring units if large vehicles will need extended loading time
Choosing a Specialist Team
This is exactly why it pays to work with a company that specialises in office removals south london businesses can rely on, rather than a generic van-and-driver service. A specialist team already knows the borough-specific access rules, has relationships with local building managers, and can plan around the transport quirks of the area, saving you time and reducing the risk of delays on moving day.
Minimising Disruption to Day-to-Day Operations
The most bothersome part of the move for most businesses is the loss of productivity from customers and employees and the disruption to other tasks that are being performed. One of the simplest solutions is to schedule the move to happen during the week when the phone isn’t ringing as much and when there isn’t a lot of foot traffic. The equipment from IT is the most sensitive, and people need to understand the server and how the network is set up so they can get everything back up and running and ready to go when everyone gets back to work.
It also helps to perform the move in stages, getting non essential departments and documents moved before the rest of the departments are moved. It also helps to leave active business operations and the core of day-to-day operations done last. This helps keep some things running as usual during the transition and helps staff work out any problems in the new premises before everything is completely moved in.
Planning Your Move
A good office relocation in South London requires advanced planning and organisation. This process begins multiple weeks leading up to the moving day. Take stock of your inventory, establish a realistic timeline with your preferred moving service provider, and communicate the plan to the employees. It’s always beneficial to plan a window of flexibility on either side of the main move date since last minute IT issues, building access issues, or numerous other unexpected issues can happen. Knowing local movement patterns and having proper planning can make an office move less anxiety causing and more of a reset. Our team welcomes the opportunity to provide a free no obligation quote to assist you in better planning your commercial move based on your preferred building and your timeline.