Plans in place for Wellington Place
THE NEXT phase of an ambitious £450m city centre scheme has taken a further step forward with its developer claiming there will be no let up in its construction despite the economic downturn.
MEPC, a leading developer of sustainable business schemes, has submitted a planning application for the first building of the third phase of its Wellington Place development in Leeds.
The building, in the city’s West End, will consist of 160,000 sq ft of Grade A commercial office space along with 8,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space, which is likely to be used for restaurants and cafes.
The building has been designed by Fielden Clegg Bradley Architects.
The planning application, submitted by Savills’ planning and regeneration team, also proposes the installation of Tower Square, an area of public realm located around the Grade II Listed Lifting Tower, and the early creation of the Whitehall Road Boulevard, designed by Martha Schwartz architects.
Rick de Blaby, chief executive of MEPC, said: “We hope to obtain planning permission for the first building by October or November this year and then be on site in the early to mid part of 2009. Although several developments in Leeds have been put on hold due to the current economic turndown, we have no plans to delay or scale down the development.
“Although we are not immune to the effects of the ‘credit crunch’, we still believe that Leeds is the most robust business centre in England outside of London and that there is still a good demand for grade A office space within the five star business district in Leeds’ West End.
“Our vision is still for Wellington Place to grow into the most significant urban regeneration project in the region and this first building will set the tone for Wellington Place and its future phases. Providing such a large area of quality public realm so early on in the development will help with the ‘place making’ that we see as being essential to the success of Wellington Place.”
In June, Savills’ planning and regeneration team in Leeds, on behalf of MEPC, secured reserved matters approval for a building which will consist of mixed-use space, primarily office and residential use.
