Orchard Street plans “new lease of life” for former Debenhams

Orchard Street Investment Management has provided an update on its plans to transform the former Debenhams store on Briggate, Leeds, into a new mixed-use asset.The specialist commercial property investment manage has received planning permission from Leeds City Council for its plans which involve the former department store being repurposed to provide 124 studio apartments while the basement, ground and first floors will offer about 45,000 sq ft of retail space.The scheme, which is due to complete in the second half of 2023, will preserve the listed building’s architecture while adding a fifth floor, redeveloping the fourth floor and comprehensively refurbishing the interior to include a modern atrium running throughout the centre of the upper floors.A number of wellness and sustainability initiatives will be incorporated as well as shared amenities to improve the occupier experience. These include a rooftop sky lounge and a wellness courtyard to maximise the use of outside space to the benefit of the residents.The scheme has been designed to meet the demand from the city’s high student population, driven by its five city-centre universities, with more than 38,000 university students currently unable to access purpose-built student accommodation.Stace LLP has been appointed as project manager for the design and construction stages of the scheme, with Chapman Tolcher Carey Jones Studios retained as architects, Icis Design as structural engineer, Hollis Global as cost consultants, A Plus as M&E Consultants and Savills as planning consultants among others that make up a strong design team. The main contractor and student operator appointments will be announced in the coming weeks.