Plans revealed for transformation of Yorkshire Bank HQ
Plans have been revealed for the three phase transformation of the Yorkshire Bank HQ in Leeds city centre.
According to pre-application documents, the building which sits in the Arena quarter of the city would be demolished to make way for two purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) buildings alongside a multi-use event building, when the current lease with the bank’s parent company, Virgin Money UK, expires in 2025.
The proposal by Liverpool-based developer Downing, which has previously delivered student in Leeds before at the award winning Broadcasting Tower and at Cityside, and the city council is for a 38-storey building containing 728 bedrooms in the first phase (Block A).
This would be followed in phase two by a U-shaped building (Block B) on the site of the existing Yorkshire Bank office that would rise incrementally from the western edge which would be three storeys to 7, 12 and 18 storeys, and include 543 bedrooms.
The multi-purpose event space according to documents would “likely be brought forward at a later date by Leeds City Council” but would include a total floor area of 9,900 sq m, almost a third of which would be the main exhibition area.
In addition the building would feature 1,700 sq m of conference space, an 800-900 capacity auditorium alongside pre event space and bar areas.
According to plans it is envisaged that the venue would host corporate banqueting, awards ceremonies, live entertainment, conferences and exhibitions, together with gigs and shows which require a more intimate space than is offered by the First Direct Arena, but larger capacities than existing venues in Leeds – attracting between 100,000-150,000 attendees a year when fully operational.
If the plans progress the development will be the latest purpose built student accommodation in the area following on from the completion of the tallest student accommodation in Europe, Atlus House a stones throw from the planned site alongside and close to the planned location of a 44 storey PBSA development at Arena Point.
The developer will present further details of the development to council’s City Plans Panel on 2 September in order to allow members to consider and comment on the current proposals.
Downing has launched a public consultation on the plans which will run between 30 August and 10 September.
The public are being invited to view the plans and submit their feedback by visiting a website: https://downingconsultation.com/ or attending a drop-in exhibition at the First Direct Arena on 1 September between 3pm and 7pm.
George Tyson, projects director at Downing, said: “It has long been recognised that Leeds is in need of an additional, flexible events space capable of hosting corporate banqueting, awards ceremonies and live entertainment.
“With a 2,000 square metre flat floor space, this scheme has the potential to host conferences and exhibitions which can’t be facilitated at the Arena or other venues in the city centre, allowing Leeds to secure business that may otherwise be lost to other cities and regions.
“The proposed new venue would enrich the city’s events capacity, bringing Leeds in line with other core UK cities and provide a significant boost to the visitor economy, driving business tourism which is currently worth over £500 million to the city.
“Attracting and retaining graduate talent is vital to the health of the regional economy and this relies on being able to offer attractive student accommodation.
“Our proposals will provide students with brand new, first-class living space in a dynamic part of the city, with fast access to university buildings and facilities.
“The project will support hundreds of construction jobs in the area, as well as providing new opportunities for the local supply-chain.”
