More Grade A offices on the way as property firm acquires prime site
Property company Kinrise is launching a comprehensive refurbishment programme for its latest high-profile acquisition in Leeds – Trevelyan Square.
The business has bought the freehold, 3.5-acre site in a multi-million pound deal.
It will refurbish 1 Trevelyan Square, a seven-storey 53,688 sq ft building, and upgrade Ambler House, with 19,890 sq ft of office space behind a Grade II listed façade.
The Leeds office of global property consultancy Knight Frank advised Kinrise on the freehold purchase of the site from a private investor.
George Aberdeen, co-founder of Kinrise, said: “We’re committed to upgrading and enhancing 3.5 acres of Leeds city centre, including the public space at Trevelyan Square for everyone to enjoy.
“Visitors and tenants will also benefit from the site’s mature trees and greenery, quite rare and much needed in Leeds city centre.
“Once the transformation of Trevelyan Square is complete, we are very confident of attracting more first-class occupiers to the city.”
Sam Lawson Johnston, co-founder of Kinrise, said: “We have brought character, design and life to good investments in Leeds and Manchester and are embarking on projects in Liverpool, Birmingham and London and have seen the enthusiasm with which our spaces are received by tenant companies.
“Early in the pandemic we made a call that the good office is not dead, nor is the importance of the city centre and we have been on a mission to expand into high-growth work and cultural hubs. We’re proud to have doubled the size of our property portfolio over that time.”
Graham Foxton, a partner with Knight Frank, who handled this deal, said: “1-3 Trevelyan Square is a large and important piece of the city centre and our clients’ ambitions are clear.
“Kinrise has already transformed 34 Boar Lane into one of the most exciting workplaces in the city and we can expect more of the same at Trevelyan Square.”
Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency with Knight Frank in Leeds, who will be marketing the offices, added: “This investment by Kinrise is a huge boost to the Leeds office market, which is now entering a most exciting phase with more Grade A office space emerging at last.
“These magnificent buildings are bound to prove popular with new occupiers.
“Our future offices must break the mould of the past two decades. If organisations want to attract the best and keep their workforce, they need to create spaces that their staff will want to work in.”
