Multi-million pound city centre plans unveiled
THE BUSINESS DESK
9 August 2011
By Ian Briggs - Editor, Yorkshire
PLANS for a £30m scheme to create a a 130 bedroom hotel and 50,000 sq ft of office space in Leeds city centre have been unveiled.
Yorkshire companies Gregory Projects and Marshalls are behind the project. The joint venture partnership is to acquire a 0.6 acre site on Whitehall Road, adjacent to Leeds City Rail Station, from Town Centre Securities for an undisclosed sum.
An agreement to operate the hotel has been put in place with Premier Inn which wants to expand its existing proposition to the south of the city and close to the station.
The vision for the scheme is to deliver an independent ground floor entrance for each element of the development with four floors of grade A offices above and a further five floors atop that for hotel bedrooms.
A full planning application is expected to be submitted by the end of September.
Richard Tovey at Gregory Projects, which is a part of Leeds-based Gregory Property Holdings, said: “We are delighted to be able to acquire the site jointly with Marshalls of Elland. This is a prime development opportunity that will draw interest from blue chip businesses seeking a very short walk to the railway station.
"The advanced agreement with Premier Inn reinforces the location values as well as Leeds’ capacity for more hotel accommodation.”
Adam Cockroft of DTZ, which is appointed jointly with Weatheralls to market the office element said: “Leeds remains one of Europe’s top business destinations and still enjoys healthy demand for high quality office accommodation, despite the economic downturn.
"This development is in an excellent location and offers an opportunity for potential occupiers to influence the design and layout of their office space and also enjoy an on site hotel for guests and employees.”
WSB is representing Premier Inn.
