New city office scheme to host growing design consultancy
Employee-owned consultancy Arup has confirmed it will move into a new home at 11 & 12 Wellington Place, Leeds.
It plans to relocate from its current, smaller, Leeds office into 36,000 sq ft of office space at 11 & 12 Wellington Place, part of the MEPC developed urban quarter, in late 2023.
With more than 480 engineers, planners, digital experts and technical specialists in the city, Arup has seen a 30% growth in Leeds-based staff joining over the last two years, including more than 90 apprentices and graduates.
Specialists across Arup – including experts in electrical and mechanical engineering, and sustainability – worked with MEPC to help design and deliver 11 & 12 Wellington Place.
The letting to Arup follows other prominent additions to the Wellington Place development over recent months, including Wrigleys Solicitors and independent investment management firm Redmayne Bentley.
Plans for 9 Wellington Place, which will provide 176,413 sq ft of office and 6,851 sq ft of ground floor retail and leisure space, were also recently given the green light by Leeds City Council.
Tom Bridges, Arup’s Leeds office leader, said: “This is a vote of confidence in Leeds and West Yorkshire as a hub for dynamic, knowledge-based business – as well as in the future of the office and city centres as places of collaboration and innovation.
“We look forward to continuing to use our experience and expertise to find solutions to the big challenges facing Leeds and West Yorkshire in the years to come – including accelerating economic growth, tackling climate change, modernising infrastructure, reducing economic inequality, supporting entrepreneurship, harnessing new technology and creating more inclusive cities.”
Paul Pavia, development director at MEPC, said: “Having worked closely together on the pioneering 11 & 12 buildings it feels only natural that a company recognised worldwide for its dedication to sustainable development would then take space in them.
“Arup shares our passion for Leeds, having worked on a number of significant projects across the city, and we’re looking forward to supporting its plans for growth and working with the team to further boost Leeds’s reputation as a key northern powerhouse and a fantastic business base.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “It is fantastic that Arup is expanding its operations in Leeds, and it was a pleasure to meet some of its apprentices and graduates recently at its new Wellington Place home.
“Roles created by companies like Arup support our drive towards a green economy, and investment like this will help drive forward our regional growth.”
Jeff Pearey, head of UK regional office agency and Yorkshire / North East regions at JLL, acted for Wellington Place on the letting. Iain Cairns of BNP Paribas Real Estate represented Arup.
