Law firm agrees Wellington Place move

LAW firm Squire Patton Boggs has agreed terms to become the first occupier at 6 Wellington Place, which is being developed by MEPC in Leeds.

The firm said the move demonstrates its commitment to the Leeds and Yorkshire markets.

Squire Patton Boggs, which employs around 270 people in Leeds, will take  around 32,000 sq ft of office space over two floors when the building is completed at the end of 2015.

MEPC says the move, which will see the law firm relocate from its current Park Lane offices in the city, highlights Wellington Place’s “market leading proposition with competition for occupiers fierce.”

6 Wellington Place is the first speculative grade A office development to have been constructed in Leeds for more than six years. The five-storey building will offer 104,000 sq ft of grade A office and retail space.

Its construction follows the recent completion of the 35,000 sq ft 10 Wellington Place.

James Dipple, chief executive of MEPC, said: “This agreement is fantastic news. We are absolutely delighted to have secured such a prestige name as Squire Patton Boggs as the first occupier at 6 Wellington Place and look forward to welcoming them to the scheme.

“We continue to have positive discussions with a number of interested parties and expect to make further announcements in the near future.”

John Alderton, managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Leeds, said: “We are passionate about our position in the local market, and this move to new premises provides us with a platform for the firm’s future in the city.

“We have outstanding staff, a strong client base and great ambition for the future, demonstrated by the fact that we will now have first-rate facilities for our people and our clients here in Leeds.”

He added: “We are excited about our move into 6 Wellington Place which, alongside MEPC’s recently completed 10 Wellington Place, will again set the benchmark for corporate workspace in Leeds.

“The legal sector has seen much consolidation over recent months. However, growth is very much on our agenda. And the state-of-the-art facilities and flexibility 6 Wellington Place offers will give us the headroom for that growth as economic prospects continue to improve.”

Squire Patton Boggs’ Leeds office services clients across Yorkshire, the UK and increasingly from outside the UK, serving approximately one quarter of the public companies headquartered in Yorkshire and the North East.

The Leeds office is also the base for firm-wide services including IT, accounting and other back office functions.

Dipple added: “This letting further demonstrates the demand being seen in the market for quality product.

“Competition is fierce but Wellington Place has once again proved that it sits on top of the pile.”

MEPC is working on plans to bring forward further phases of Wellington Place to create a development offering more than 1m sq ft of commercial, retail, leisure and residential space.

Shepherd Construction is the appointed contractor on the build.

The agents for 6 Wellington Place are Jeff Pearey at JLL and Adam Cockroft of DTZ.