Letting paves way for hotel
THE BUSINESS DESK
10 August 2011
By James Reed - Deputy Editor, Yorkshire
A NEW Premier Inn Hotel is set to open in Leeds after Bruntwood let the Hepworth Point building to Whitbread.
Planning permission has already been granted that will allow the building, originally designed as a hotel, to be transformed into a 131 bedroom Premier Inn opening in March creating around 50 jobs.
Hepworth Point occupies a position close to the Leeds Arena which is due to open in 2013.
Kevin Murray, senior acquisition manager for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants which operates Premier Inn, said: “We are excited about our new plans for bringing Premier Inn to Hepworth Point.
"It’s an outstanding development and an ideal location for a hotel, with great access to the university, hospital and new Leeds Arena. It’s good news for Premier Inn that we’re part of it and good news for our customers.”
The letting was secured for Whitbread by WSB Property Consultants. Partner Adam Mobley said: “With the forthcoming Arena directly opposite this deal represents a key addition to Premier Inn’s portfolio and will bring some much needed bed space to the north of the city.“
Hepworth Point was originally designed by architect John Poulson and became home to the Next retail group in Leeds. Poulson also designed City House next to Leeds Station which was recently bought by Bruntwood.
Bruntwood head of sales and development Craig Burrow said: “Hepworth Point was initially designed as a hotel, but never used as one. We have been an active participant in the Leeds Arena master planning and we feel this is a great opportunity to return the building to its originally intended use.
“As an active developer in Leeds, we remain committed to expanding our presence in the city and we’ve recently submitted a planning application for our development at City House. We’re now actively seeking potential acquisition opportunities within the city, as our customers continue to respond positively to the Bruntwood way of doing business here.”
