£25m Bond Court development completes
Developers have completed the £25m investment into the transformation of Bond Court in Leeds city centre.
The five-year project, in collaboration with Leeds City Council, has seen new offices, a 5* hotel and restaurants arrive in the area.
Completion by Evans Property Group saw the 95 bed five-star Dakota Deluxe Hotel open in May. Its founder is internationally acclaimed hotelier Ken McCulloch, the mastermind behind the Malmaison brand. It includes the destination Bar & Grill restaurant and Salon Privé, a cocktail bar with a first-floor terrace.
It also completed the extensive upgrade of the Minerva and Capitol buildings, creating more than 50,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.
hlw Keeble Hawson has leased the mezzanine floor with planning practice Quod North relocating its Leeds office into the building and the UK’s leading car information expert, CAP Automotive Ltd, expanding headquarter operations within the building.
Standard Life Wealth, property firm BNP Paribas, UBS and Gateley have all joined the lineup at the adjacent Minerva building.
The newly-launched 180-cover Tattu restaurant brings Chinese cuisine to the area, adding to the dining credentials of the area following the refurbishment of Blackhouse Grill, the Living ventures steak specialist, which committed to a 25-year lease extension. This comes after Evans secured planning permission from Leeds City Council to create a new terrace and elevation improvements.
Alan Syers, portfolio director at Evans Property Group commented: “Leeds is a major hub for professional services and its office market has seen unprecedented levels of demand. The transformation of the Bond Court area has created a hugely desirable office and leisure destination, a dynamic connection of the city’s traditional commercial district with its retail core.”
“It has been a busy and exciting time working with Leeds City Council on this high profile project and we are very proud to see the whole scheme come to fruition. Before 2013, Bond Court was in a poor state of repair and forgotten by many local businesses. These works have transformed it into a thriving, stylish and upmarket city centre destination,” continued Alan Syers.
Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for regeneration, transport and planning said: “At a time when tourism visits to Leeds are growing year on year, quality hotel developments are a welcome addition to the city centre. The redevelopment of Bond Court and the buildings around it have been transformational and are indicative of the economic confidence in Leeds.
“Bond Court is now a high quality piece of public space, which, thanks to these improvements is less car dominated and we are already seeing increased footfall on the space.”
