Developer reveals plans and imagery for first Yorkshire investment
Plans and imagery outlining a proposed 750-unit PRS scheme on Globe Road, Leeds, by a developer looking to invest in Yorkshire for the first time have been exclusively shared with TheBusinessDesk.com.
Get Living acquired the five-acre site on the South Bank of Leeds for £8.5m in April last year, and the firm expects to invest £180m in it.
Rick De Blaby, executive deputy chairman of Get Living, told TheBusinessDesk.com the firm was preparing to submit a planning application in July, with a view to being on site next year with a phased build. The firm is also looking to build a hub for co-working, tech firms and neighbourhood space.
De Blaby, who was previously chief executive at MEPC in Leeds, said that it was a focus to build a scheme “with a difference” in Yorkshire having successfully launched Get Living London; turning the former athletes’ village in London into a PRS scheme which offers residents a neighbourhood with no fees, no security deposit, the chance to decorate their homes and teams on site for support.
De Blaby said the scheme woulf create a neighbourhood on the South Bank. He said: “The housing market is changing and we want to offer something with a difference. At the moment, 19% of households are rented and it’s forecast to reach 25%. Professionals are increasingly looking at the rental sector. This is a mid-market scheme.
“One of the main drivers for acquiring the site is the MEPC completion, which will see the NHS and HMRC take up space in Wellington Place. We want the apartments to be available by then; so we have got a bit of time to catch up.”
De Blaby said that it was also essential to create an arts and culture offering nearby, and the firm was working with the Canal and River Trust as to how the scheme is developed to open up access to the canal. “We hope to transform this area of Leeds, we are not just going ahead with this because we think it’s a great scheme but also because we are ambitious for the city,” he added.
De Blaby spoke to TheBusinessDesk.com at MIPIM last week, as Get Living were involved with the Leeds City Region delegation. Reflecting on the offer that LCR put out at MIPIM, De Blaby said it was unrecognisable from a region that ten years ago used to look over its shoulder towards Manchester.
He said: “It’s really picked up the baton as a compassionate, authentic city which has a clear proposition.”
