An All Together Positive Outlook for West End Leeds

Credit crunch. Global economic downturn. Gloomy financial forecast. Many would say that it’s not the best time to be ploughing £1 billion into developing a new business, residential and retail quarter in one of the UK’s biggest cities. But for the West End Leeds Partnership, successful regeneration is about much more than simply timing; it’s about the right approach, the right mix of product and a total commitment to working together across private and public sector remits.

It’s a formula that’s clearly working. The partnership between the five developers –Town Centre Securities, MEPC, HBG Properties, Bruntwood, KW Linfoot plc - and Leeds City Council is already firmly established and part of the blueprint for success is that they are working together towards a common goal, not competing against each other for recognition.

The West End Partnership is not only working well together, it is also working with Renaissance Leeds, a joint project between Leeds City Council, English Partnerships, Yorkshire Forward and the Leeds Initiative. All partners are already working as one under a common brand and positioning statement – appropriately ‘West Ends Leeds, All Together Better’ - and have created a brand guidelines book to ensure that everything any of them do, together or individually, presents a unified approach. They have brought their individual agenda’s together within a single website (www.westendleeds.com) and within a single brochure. They have even worked together to pull off two launch events, one in Leeds last September, the other at international property fair, MIPIM, in Cannes last month. The result has been that this project has an enviable profile, not just regionally and nationally but internationally too.

With such visibility comes pressure to succeed while the international property market holds its breath to see whether development on this scale is really viable in the current economic climate. “There’s no denying that these are tough times," comments Richard Dean from KW Linfoot, “but we know we can deliver, even against this backdrop. We have confidence in the city of Leeds, confidence in the West End, confidence in the Leeds market and, above all, confidence in our product."

It would seem that Richard’s confidence is well placed. Contractor Carillion began work on LW Linfoot’s 172m high ‘Lumière’ tower in December after the developer had sold 575 of the 624 apartments released. Phase two was released just four weeks ago and already 20 of these have been sold. What’s more 60% of sales have been to local buyers. In the current market, that’s not bad going by anyone’s standards.

Of course it will be a while yet before Lumière attains its status as the West End’s ‘Eastern Gateway’. Contractor works on the three-storey basement underground are well underway, although hidden from view. Make no mistake, however, this will be a building that announces Leeds’ commercial supremacy and residential appeal far and wide. Its 832 apartments, 120 serviced apartments, retail, restaurant and office space will rise 172 m out of the ground over the next four years to rob Manchester’s 168m Beetham Tower of its ‘tallest building outside London’ accolade.

Meanwhile, at the West End’s ‘Western Gateway’, HBG’s ‘Latitude’ development is fast taking shape. This 100,000 sq m mixed use development that will include 620 apartments and more than 60,000 sq m of grade A office space is due for completion in 2013. The first phase, ‘Latitude Red’, an eight-storey 11,150 sq m speculative BREEAM excellent office building is on track to complete later this year with HBG Properties already having sold the building to IVG.

“There has been a drastic shortage of high quality office space in Leeds for several years" comments James Dowson from HBG, “and the level of enquiries we’re receiving indicates that demand is still very much there, despite the economic climate.

“What we’re seeing is that people are buying in to West End Leeds as a must have address and, because of the flexibility designed into the scheme, it has a wide appeal."

While the showpiece buildings continue to take shape, what’s already evident is that West End Leeds is fulfilling its remit of developing a community around its 5-star business destination. This will be no enclave of prosperity, far from it; its infrastructure and physical connection with the rest of the city will influence a far wider economic vitality. A schedule of 278 infrastructure improvements has been agreed, including the all important Whitehall Road and the project will open up the city’s waterways to the public, increasing Leeds’ walkability and returning the city to its traditional flow of district into district.

The recent opening of the West End Arch is case in point. Spanning the River Aire, it links the West End with Holbeck, creating footfall in the West End while the quarter is still under development and encouraging businesses to locate in the fledgling commercial district. Starbucks, recruitment agency, Network Marketing, and homegrown eatery ‘Roast Café’ are amongst the businesses that have confidently taken space in the West End on the basis of trade from both within the quarter and its neighbouring commercial districts.

Clearly, West End Leeds remains a ‘watch this space’ but the signs so far are good. As founder of Roast, Matthew Firth, so succinctly puts it “It is exciting – but nerve-wracking – to be here at the beginning."