Flagship city centre offices undergo multi-million pound refurb
GRADE A office building, 9 Bond Court, is undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment.
The Leeds city centre site, which comprises 68,230 sq ft of office space, is let to a number of professional firms including property consultancy Knight Frank, Stewarts Law, Redmayne-Bentley and Begbies Traynor.
A planning application has just been submitted to Leeds City Council for a new entrance to the building and floor-to ceiling glazing.
Elizabeth Ridler, partner with Knight Frank in Leeds, said: “This extensive refurbishment, which features substantial interior and exterior work, is making 9 Bond Court one of the finest central office buildings in the city. It was already impressive, with its height dominating the central Leeds cityscape, but it will now be transformed into a statement building.”
The £2m investment includes two refurbished office floors of approximately 6,500 sq ft and lobbies; a new reception; a new entrance; new basement shower facilities; and floor-to-ceiling glazing. Depending on planning, the work will be complete by spring 2015.
Ridler added: “This refurbishment of 9 Bond Court complements perfectly the renaissance of the Bond Court area in the heart of the city. With the new state-of-the-art four-star Dakota Hotel replacing the brutalist Greek Street car park, and both Minerva house and Capitol House being upgraded, this area, once an ugly duckling, will become the new heart of the professional core in Leeds.
“The new-look 9 Bond Court reinforces this location in the market place, completely changing people’s perception of the building. The office accommodation will be second to none, perfectly in tune with the Leeds office occupier both from a size and also rental perspective, with rents in the region of £22 per sq ft.”
Patrick Carter, associate director at Savills Leeds, said: “There is a lack of good quality Grade A stock in Leeds and this extensive refurbishment work will give 9 Bond Court a new exciting new lease of life and we are sure that it will help us target new occupiers.”
There is currently 12,000 sq ft of space available to lease on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the building, with suites available from 1,600 sq ft upwards.
Gary Bulloch of Savills, who is project managing the refurbishment, said: “When previous owners F&C REIT Asset Management bought 9 Bond Court in 2004, they did a substantial amount of modernisation work on the building. We have taken this a step further to create much-needed high-quality office space in the centre of Leeds, fit for the 21st century.”
David Loudan of stockbrokers Redmayne-Bentley, who have offices on the ground, sixth and seventh floors, said: “We are delighted with our relocation to Bond Court. The excellent accommodation and high-profile city centre presence has impressed both clients and staff. Bond Court provides the ideal location to grow our business further.”
Knight Frank and Savills are the joint marketing agents for 9 Bond Court, which was recently bought by Cordea Savills, on behalf of a client, from F&C REIT Asset Management for £12.4m.
