ONE of Greenock’s biggest office buildings has changed hands for several million pounds.

Scott House in Knowe Road is rented by Cigna Healthcare as its European HQ.

Now the owners, Ostrich Limited, have sold it in a £3 million deal to Castel Commercial Property Fund.

But Cigna say this will not affect their operations at the site.

A spokesperson said: “We are aware of the change in ownership, but it makes no change to our position.

“Our landlords are Scottish Enterprise, so this sale will not affect us in any way.” The purchase was announced by Aston Property Ventures, which completed it on behalf of Castel.

The three-storey, 31,000-plus sq ft property has been fully refurbished recently and is fully let.

Richard Bousfield of Aston, said they expected good returns from the investment.

He said: “The off market acquisition of this modern office building shows we are able to secure very high yielding property assets for our client.

“We will asset manage the property to deliver very attractive ‘risk adjusted’ returns.” John Greenwood, chief executive of Creechurch Capital, which also acts on behalf of Castel, said: “We were quick to identify the value in commercial property in the provinces, and have purposefully sought out smaller deals and developments to ensure the right level of liquidity within the fund and the best possible returns for our investors.” Cigna also have offices at the Clyde View building in Greenock’s Riverside Business Park at Ladyburn.

The company expanded by moving in there just over two years ago at an opening ceremony performed by Enterprise Minister Fergus Ewing.

Cigna UK Healthcare Benefits’ managing director, James Parker, said at the time: “Continuing to develop and expand in Greenock is a testament to the area and the quality of staff available.

“The opening of these new offices demonstrates Scotland’s attractiveness to inward investors, and reinforces Cigna’s commitment to working and growing their business from Inverclyde.” The company have 556 employees in Greenock, with just over 300 at Scott House and around 250 at Clyde View.