The amount of office space leased in the country’s best office towers is rising while demand for secondary buildings is contracting, as the divide between CBD winners and losers sharpens.

A breakdown of the overall take-up of CBD office space over the first quarter – described as “net absorption” in the commercial real estate sector – shows 190,300 square metres was leased in the prime office towers over the 12 months to the end of March. In contrast, negative 233,700sq m was leased in secondary buildings over the same period, according to a JLL analysis.