City’s West End plans get green light

LEEDS City Council has granted outline planning consent for Town Centre Securities’ 600,000 sq ft phase of mixed-use development at Whitehall Riverside in the heart of the City’s West End.

The approval provides outline consent for 375,000 sq ft of office accommodation spread over three, eight-storey buildings, 18,500 sq ft of restaurant and café space which includes a stand-alone pavilion unit, 8,500 sq ft of leisure space and a 500 space car park all on the south side of Whitehall Road in Leeds City Centre.

Town Centre Securities will now prepare a reserved matters application for No.2 Whitehall Riverside, which at 207,000 sq ft is the largest of the three office buildings, along with the car park and leisure uses.

Edward Ziff, chairman and chief executive of Town Centre Securities, said: “We are delighted to have received outline planning consent for this phase of development which is so crucial to the long-term regeneration and vibrancy of the West End of Leeds. It is widely acknowledged that at present there is little or no available Grade A stock to meet occupiers’ requirements for large floor-plates and we are now able to commit to that through bringing our plans to life.

“We have worked very closely with Leeds City Council to ensure that our designs complement the existing and proposed developments in the vicinity and are looking forward to pressing on with the next stage of the process.”

In addition to providing green frontage to Whitehall Road, public riverside spaces and creating attractive public realm around the buildings, a key design element is to create important linkages around the scheme.

According to scheme architect Gregg Mitchell at Enjoy, the plans have been produced to bring a sense of unity to Leeds’ West End.

He said: “Whilst this was a stand-alone application, it has been designed with its surroundings in mind. We have strived to create both visual and physical links between the City Centre, Holbeck and Leeds Train Station in order to maximise the look and flow of the space.

“It is an incredibly exciting development for the city and will undoubtedly enhance its already strong appeal as a commercial centre.”