Design agency Brainstorm relocates to former Emmerdale mill

The 1912 Mill in Farsley, near Leeds, where Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed, has welcomed a new tenant.

Brainstorm, a multi-disciplinary design agency, has relocated from Stanningley and taken 665 sq ft of business space.

The mill, part of the Sunny Bank Mills complex, has been transformed into a 21st century business centre.

Sunny Bank Mills, situated in Town Street in the centre of Farsley, has been extensively renovated to provide space within an environment steeped in heritage for small and medium-sized businesses in West Yorkshire.

Altogether 64 companies are now on site, creating 300 new and sustainable jobs.

John Gaunt, joint managing director of Edwin Woodhouse Ltd, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, commented: “We are delighted to welcome such an exciting young company like Brainstorm to the community at Sunny Bank Mills. We believe the pedigree of business we attract is a testament to the quality of our £2m refurbishment at the 1912 Mill.

“The 1912 Mill is one of the jewels in our crown. It is a striking building, which has been extensively modernised to provide an attractive combination of historic features and contemporary facilities. Other occupiers include Prestige Graphics, Vitality Health and Powerhouse Digital Photography, but we still have 14,000 sq ft of prime office space to lease.

“We are very proud to have achieved this significant letting and are looking forward to building on this success.”

David Whitworth, managing director of Brainstorm, which specialise in branding, print and web design, added: “I’d visited Sunny Bank Mills previously to work with Powerhouse Photography and was always struck by what a great job William and John Gaunt were doing as they renovated the buildings and created a superb mix of tenants.

“Basically it just felt right. We’ve relocated from not too far away on Bradford Road, Stanningley and have found this is a great base. Our office has great light, there is ample car parking for us and visitors and the site is managed really well.

“The fit-out was handled really well by the landlords and their ongoing service is really good. I’d have no hesitation in recommending Sunny Bank Mills.”

Mike Dove, of Leeds-based property consultants Dove Haigh Phillips, commented: “The refurbishment of the 1912 Mill is a complete triumph, a wonderful balance of cutting edge modern office space in an environment rich in history and heritage. The attention to detail is stunning and the 1912 Mill now provides arguably the finest office space in the Leeds-Bradford corridor.

“The crowning glory of the 1912 Mill is the top floor, which has been lovingly restored and where the fabulous new Northern Light window, the first new northern light roof in northern England, stands out. This creates a stunning commercial penthouse. The owners of Sunny Bank Mills took the brave decision to invest heavily in this building and, indeed in the rest of the complex, and this decision has paid dividends.

“This is one of the most significant mill regeneration projects currently being undertaken in Yorkshire. Steeped in history and with massive potential, Sunny Bank Mills is fast becoming one of the prime business locations in the West Leeds area.”

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