100 jobs created as £50m regeneration scheme completes

Work has completed on Leicester’s £50 million Great Central Square development, bringing 100 new jobs to the city.

Morgan Sindall Construction has been working with developer Charles Street Buildings Group (CSB), infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard and Leicester City Council on the four-and-half-acre site since 2018.

The development in the Waterside area of the city includes two new hotels operated by the Accor hospitality group and a five-storey, 33,000 sq ft Grade A office building called No.1 Great Central Square.

CSB also carried out its own building work to repurpose the disused Great Central Railway Station.

Stephen George + Partners designed the office and station and acted as master planners; Leech Rhodes Walker designed the hotels and the Andrew Davis Partnership designed the Great Central Square public realm.

Joseph Murphy, director at CSB, said: “Having worked for a number of years through various possible use cases for the site, we’re naturally delighted that Great Central Square is finally complete. Building work concluded on several elements ahead of schedule, so we’ve already had healthy occupier interest in the commercial space. Public reception of the newly-opened hotels has been incredibly positive too.

“The local authority has taken a holistic view to revitalising the Waterside area of Leicester, with the connectivity investment key to this. As a family business with deep local roots, we’re incredibly proud that this development can be the catalyst to drive this long-term strategy and we look forward to working with the council on future schemes in the city.”

Leicester’s City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby added: “I am delighted that the city council has been able work closely so with local developer Charles Street Buildings and contractors Morgan Sindall Construction on the major redevelopment of this important site. They have been thoroughly professional and a brilliant team to work with.

“The ambitious scheme has helped to transform a long-neglected part of Leicester and, by incorporating major highway and public realm improvements, has created an attractive new gateway between the city centre and the Waterside regeneration area.”