Member Article

Second phase of £100m Leeds office development ahead of schedule

Construction on Roydhouse Properties and Marrico LLP’s flagship Central Square has moved into its second phase as work on the building’s steel frame commences two weeks ahead of schedule.

Work on the 11-storey mixed-use development, which is the first speculative office scheme in Leeds for eight years, began in June last year by Wates Construction.

Designed by DLA Design, Central Square will comprise 220,000 sq ft of flexible Grade A office space, 30,000 sq ft of retail and leisure provision, 128 car parking spaces, accessible public thoroughfares, a ninth floor sky garden with city views, a central atrium and winter garden.

Built on the former Royal Mail site, the new development, which is being fully forward funded through M & G Real Estate, represents the largest ever speculative funding in the city, demonstrating the growing demand for commercial space.

Completion is expected early 2016.

Mark Barnes of Marrico said: “Requirements from potential occupiers continues to rise and as a result it is refreshing to see the number of cranes on the Leeds skyline. As the first developer to buck this trend, this latest stage of the construction of Central Square reaffirms our commitment to this scheme and our confidence in the region’s market.”

Phil Harrison, Managing Director, Wates Construction North, commented: “The cranes that currently dot Leeds city centre’s skyline are a marker of the growing investment and confidence in the commercial market, a resurgence that is also creating a strengthening upward curve in the construction industry.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .