We have walked through more high-spec, high-end office cycle storage facilities than we can count, and the one thing they almost always have in common? Gleaming racks, digital access controls, motion-sensor lighting, even branded signage and polished concrete floors … yet barely a wheel in sight.
So why are these glossy bike bunkers installed in the first place? The answer lies in planning policy. Over the past decade, cycling has become a cornerstone of urban sustainability strategies – on paper, at least. Local authorities, guided by well-meaning green initiatives, increasingly have required new developments to include generous cycle storage as a condition of planning approval. The idea is simple: more bike parking equals more cyclists. But in practice, the result is often swathes of underused infrastructure designed to tick a box rather than meet real demand. Worse still, these spaces frequently are over-engineered, using carbon-intensive materials and construction methods that undermine the environmental goals they’re meant to support.
This isn’t just a London problem. The issue becomes even more pronounced in the regions. In secondary markets – think midsized cities or business parks outside metropolitan cores – the distances between home and office are often significantly greater. That makes cycling to work a far less practical option for many, and the result is an even higher rate of vacancy in these storage facilities. Developers are still held to the same planning conditions, installing premium bike stores in buildings where active travel is unlikely to be the default choice. The outcome? Expensive, carbon-heavy infrastructure that sits unused, while the real transport challenges of these areas go unaddressed.
Mark Leeson, operations director of McBains – a leading property and construction consultancy – and a member of the British Council of Offices’ Technical Affairs Committee, shared an excellent example of sense going out the window when it comes to amenities provision: “I recently met a client developing a new student accommodation provision. The block is across the road from the university and yet they’ve been mandated by the council to provide storage for a large number of bicycles. The client’s plan is simple – they’ll install the required storage and then after a suitable period will simply convert it to a gym.”
The solution lies in one word: flexibility. Hamish Allan, a consultant and director at Making Moves, a London office consultancy, explored this idea: “One suggestion might be to offer developers the opportunity to deliver a more adaptable space that could be delivered to end users on a demand basis. Perhaps amenity spaces could be 50% fitted and 50% adaptable in order to meet sustainability goals without compromising on the best utilization of space.”
Instead of vast, empty bike stores, developments could start with a smaller core provision, with adjacent space left “soft-fitted” for future conversion. If the bikes come, great – scale up. If not, that space could be reimagined as something far more valuable to the community.
We’re already seeing smart examples of this in action. In some developments, underused amenity zones have been transformed into shared workspaces, community kitchens, tool libraries, pop-up fitness areas or even local makerspaces. These aren’t just nicer uses of space; they foster connection, well-being and more resilient local economies. With a bit of design foresight, what starts as a cycle store can become the beating heart of a community hub.
In an eight-part weekly series, the London real estate team will share insights drawn from a roundtable attended by a group of cross-practice industry experts to discuss the issues posed by subprime or so-called secondary offices with a view to proposing innovative, workable solutions. Each article focuses on a key “call for action” – a targeted idea to support those grappling with the realities of an evolving office market. Readers will hear directly from discussion participants, with selected quotes and real-life examples that bring to life the creative thinking and grounded advice contributors shared. To receive future updates on this topic, please email [email protected].