Plans in for former YP site

PLANS to deliver a 500,000 sq ft mixed use riverside development on the site once occupied by the Yorkshire Post in Leeds city centre have been submitted by landowner YP Real Estate.

The site was acquired in early 2014 and the buildings, which housed the offices and the print works of the Yorkshire Post, have now been demolished to reveal a five acrea development site.

The application incorporates plans for three detached HQ office buildings positioned along the inner ring road frontage, together with a 200 unit landmark residential block targeted at the private rental market. The scheme could equally incorporate a new hotel if required.

The proposed buildings will only occupy around 60% of the site ensuring the scheme will benefit from extensive areas of public realm and open space.

Although the scheme can function as a stand-alone destination it is envisaged it will be fully integrated, on a pedestrian level, into adjoining schemes.

To support the onsite population, which could reach 4000 workers and residents, the scheme incorporates a wide range of convenience retail and leisure facilities designed into the scheme at piazza level, which is a largely pedestrianized zone.

These leisure spaces spill out into a large south facing riverside space at the very heart of the scheme.

Although an application was made for use of the site as a commuter car park that has now been withdrawn, as market demand for new buildings suggests the scheme will be delivered sooner than first expected.

In the meantime, planning consent was secured last week for the recladding of the iconic former Yorkshire Post clock tower which will be adapted and upgraded for digital media advertising purposes and retained in the short term.

Paul Fox, of Fox Lloyd Jones, acting as agents for the landowners, said: “Our design team has worked collaboratively with a dedicated team from Leeds City Council for a number of months to evolve the scheme. It is now at a point where we feel it meets a wide range of stakeholders’ aspirations and will offer a positive contribution to the future growth and development of the city.

“We are collectively very excited about the scheme which provides a market facing mix of uses and building sizes. We believe the site will become a high profile landmark development which will dramatically announce arrival into Leeds City Centre.”

Tim Waring of Quod, planning consultants to the applicant, added: “The pre-application process, which has involved working with both officers at the Council and the local community, has been valuable to the overall scheme evolution. The result of this collaboration is a high quality scheme befitting its gateway location, which will open up the site and fully integrate the scheme into its surrounding environs. We feel the scheme will further endorse the west end as the future of the city’s business district, bringing new life to this important site. The scheme is a major piece of urban regeneration in the city, and will further the local economy whilst helping to meet the housing needs of Leeds in a highly sustainable location”.

Fox continued: “The opportunity to redevelop such a high profile site has been a challenge. Nonetheless we feel that the unique offer of high quality offices with large footprints and the ability for occupiers to exploit strong branding and signage to the 65,000 + cars passing every day, is a unique proposition in the context of city centre site availability.

“In design terms, we have gone to great lengths to produce a scheme which respects the site’s gateway status yet doesn’t overdevelop the site and importantly opens up a new entire area of the city to its waterside, furthering the work done by MEPC next door at Wellington Place.

“Current occupier demand and dynamics in Leeds are such that it is hoped an early consent can be secured to promote marketing of the site on a national and even international level given the schemes suitability to accommodate large space users and potentially major inward investment relocations.”

The development team behind the application for YP Real Estate are Sheppard Robson Architects, Quod as town planning advisors, Fox Lloyd Jones and DTZ as letting agents, Buro Happold as Engineers and Croft Transport and SLR who have dealt with the highways and other related matters such as flood risk, ground conditions and noise.