New Front scheme awaits rapid increase in footfall

THE £13m New Front scheme is set to experience a huge surge in footfall as it takes shape.

Part of Leeds’ newest leisure destination – the Arena Quarter –  property investment and development company Town Centre Securities (TCS) is making progress at its Merrion Centre site, with units currently being handed over and several under offer.

Helen Green, associate director of Leeds-headquartered TCS, said this is the biggest phase of redevelopment at the centre to date.

“Now the first direct Arena is open, the spotlight is increasingly going to be on this part of the city centre,” she said.

“The new arena has been a capitalist to the north side of the city and TCS has made the most of it.

“We have had a huge amount of interest in the scheme and we are expecting footfall to rapidly increase.”

Mrs Green said the Merrion Centre, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, currently sees more than 10 million people visit each year and on an average day, about 27,000 people come through it.

The new development is expected to increase this substantially.

Mrs Green said: “We are expecting there to be circa 140 to 150 events each year at the arena and expecting at least 1 million people to visit it on average each year. So, we expect an additional 1 million visitors to the arena area, too, which is great for us.”

When Bruce Springsteen played the opening night at first direct Arena, footfall at the Merrion Centre was about 36,500 – similar to what it is over the Christmas period, according to TCS.

The fit-out of Pure Gym’s second Leeds site is now underway. It will open early this autumn and create up to 15 new jobs.

Buffet chain COSMO, which has taken 12,500 sq ft, with 300 covers, is due to open next Easter, Costa is set to open its second premises in the centre and one unit is currently under offer to a regional bar group. O2 has also opened its first ever business centre outside London within the scheme and Pack Snack, a Hungarian bakery chain, will launch its first UK shop on Friday.

Redevelopment of the car park has started with £250,000 vehicle management system in place.

The Merrion Centre comprises 1 million sq ft of commercial space on site along with almost 250,000 sq ft of office space. Earlier this year, it appointed GMI Construction as the main contractor for the 80,000 sq ft scheme.

The brainchild of Arnold Ziff OBE, the Merrion Centre opened in 1964 as the largest indoor shopping centre in the UK at the time.