New office buildings proposed for landmark Leeds site

Proposals for two new buildings comprising more than 225,000 sq ft of office space at a key Leeds development site are set to be discussed at a council meeting next week.Pre-application plans for buildings 11 and 12 at Wellington Place will be discussed by Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel on 19 September 2019.The proposed development would comprise two office buildings of ten and 11 storeys, linked by a glass-sided bridge.About 227,000 sq ft of offices would be provided, together with 15,000 sq ft of flexible commercial space on the ground floor. It also includes 85 car, 14 motorcycle and 141 bicycle parking spaces.The development would be first building in Phase 2 of the Wellington Place scheme. Outline planning permission was granted in June for six further development plots.The new proposal includes a number of changes from the outline application. These include the construction of the bridge from the fourth to ninth floors, and the relocation of the proposed hotel from Building 11 to Building 13, fronting the River Aire.At the pre-application presentation, councillors will be asked for their views on the proposed elevations, landscaping, parking provision and the overall quality of the scheme.MEPC Ltd (MEPC) is developing and asset managing Wellington Place on behalf of joint venture partners Hermes Real Estate and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.In total, Phase 2 would comprise an additional 830,000 sq ft of office space and 250,000 sq ft of residential, which will provide space for 200 housing units, with a mix of one, two and three-bed apartments, all set in new public realm.It would also feature 50,000 sq ft of retail, health and community facilities, plus a 230 bedroomed hotel – as well as a multi-storey car park, with a capacity for up to 500 spaces, featuring car share and accessible spaces, plus electric vehicle charging points.Wellington Place is currently home to more than 30 businesses, including Sky Betting & Gaming, Shulmans and HMRC, and currently comprises in excess of 860,000 sq ft of office and retail space.