Major city centre workspace has opened following £20m redevelopment
Property platform, Bruntwood SciTech, has opened its West Village innovation hub West in Leeds city centre, following a £20m redevelopment project.
The launch of West Village marks the culmination of a development project by Bruntwood SciTech – a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General, and Greater Manchester Pension Fund – which has reimagined the former site of West One and Castle House.
West Village, which is so far 75% pre-let, offers 230,000 sq ft of workspace designed to stimulate collaborations between like-minded businesses.
It provides a mix of coworking, serviced and leased spaces with varying lease lengths.
Businesses already confirmed for the site include global insurtech innovators QBE – which has located its robotics centre and technological development hub to West Village – Australian fintech company, PEXA, and coding bootcamp provider Northcoders.
Included in the building is a new entrance space with shared lounge, breakout spaces, meeting rooms, a café operated by independent retailer Second City Coffee and a central courtyard.
And there is a wellness facility at the site called RESET Leeds, which is operated by training brand FORM.
Bruntwood SciTech has also revealed the refurbishment completion of nearby workspace 14 King Street, part of the company’s city centre innovation cluster.
This past year Bruntwood SciTech has invested £314m into its workspaces across Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham and has refurbished or is in the process of bringing 1.45 million sq ft of workspace to market.
14 King Street is home to sustainable engineering and architecture consultant Stantec, laser eye surgery provider, Optical Express and a satellite campus of Trinity College London’s language school.
Andrew Cooke, regional director – Leeds for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “West Village is the culmination of a hugely ambitious and important redevelopment project for the city.
“Leeds has built a reputation as a leading technology ecosystem and for good reason, with hundreds of innovative businesses now calling the city home.
“So it’s crucial that we continue to provide forward-thinking workspaces to ensure that these businesses are set up for success here.
“West Village does just that and more, offering spaces that encourage collaboration, inspirational thinking, and a positive work-life balance.
“Having already built a successful ecosystem of tech-led businesses at nearby Platform, we are excited for West Village and 14 King Street to join and build this community, ultimately adding to Leeds’ burgeoning technology status.”
At West Village, Bruntwood SciTech partnered with Robertsons, Cubic Works, 3D Reid, I Want Plants and DWLLP while Ultimate Group carried out the works at 14 King Street.
CBRE and Knight Frank support West Village, while Cushman & Wakefield and Fox Lloyd Jones support 14 King Street.
