Plans and images revealed for £40m hub

More details and images have been unveiled for a new £40m innovation and enterprise hub in Leeds which it is hoped can help support the creation of 500 jobs over five years through companies collaborating with or growing within the landmark centre.In plans drawn up by Associated Architects and submitted by Indigo Planning, on behalf of the University of Leeds, a 107,000 sq ft building is envisaged on a landscaped car park area in the south east portion of the university’s campus, off Woodhouse Lane.It is proposed that the building, incorporating three distinct arms, will act as a marker for the new gateway to the University of Leeds.The University Innovation and Enterprise Centre (UIEC), which it is hoped will establish the university at the forefront of innovation and enterprise in the UK, would provide office and laboratory space for technology-led companies to develop and grow.The creation of 50 start-ups is targeted for the first five years of the UIEC, alongside the capacity for collaboration with 350 businesses.Transport software provider Tracsis, biotechnology business Avacta Group and commercial laundry pioneer Xeros Technology Group, all now listed companies, are among the successful spin-outs from the university.It is expected that the UIEC will host 598 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, of which 97 will be new FTE jobs. Construction would also create 165 person years of temporary construction employment.The southern arm of the building would be seven storeys in height, with the other two arms to its north being three to four storeys.As well as the offices and labs, there would be communal spaces, an atrium, lecture theatres and meeting rooms, while a publicly accessible café is included in the plans at ground floor level. An existing two-storey café and a garage block on site would be demolished.The UIEC has been designed to address the setting of existing listed buildings in the vicinity, while also acting as a landmark gateway building to the University Campus. Internally it provides accessible and flexible space for tenants, designed to foster collaborations between partners.