Plans unveiled for new Leeds innovation hub

Emerging plans have been unveiled for a new 107,000 sq ft innovation and enterprise hub in Leeds laid out across three connected arms with a central atrium.The University of Leeds is driving the proposal for the hub building, which it said would be a link from “town to gown” and be located on its campus, providing office and laboratory space for technology-led companies to develop and grow.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. A site set in a landscaped car park area within the University of Leeds campus, off Woodhouse Lane, has been earmarked for the hub project.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, 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.A pre-application presentation to Leeds City Council next week (12 May 2016) will focus on the relationship between the proposed development and the existing campus properties, including the prominent grade II-listed EC Stoner building.The scale and design of the scheme, access, pedestrian connectivity, the heritage impact and the public realm treatment will also be explored.