A £3m project to create new offices within the listed Electric Press building in Leeds is set to go ahead after securing planning permission.
Built in 1840, the three-storey Electric Press contains the 350-seat Carriageworks Theatre and conference facility as well as bars and restaurants, including All Bar One and Casa Mia.
Now Leeds City Council has approved plans to create new offices in the property, which will be complete by June 2023.
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Work will soon start on a three-phase transformation of offices in the Grade II listed building, in the heart of the city’s Civic Quarter, to serve up 17,200 sq ft of Grade A office space, including leisure space and a rooftop club room and terrace for yoga and parties.
Knight Frank, sole agent, expects strong interest from potential occupiers for the offices, which will be called Switch.
Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency at Knight Frank in Leeds, who is marketing the offices on behalf of landlord DTZ Investors, said: “The new office space at the Electric Press, which has been named Switch, will now be worthy of the rest of this magnificent historic building.
“The offices were previously occupied by Leeds Metropolitan University. Time has inevitably taken its toll, while there was no external amenity space for staff who worked there. So the offices are absolutely ready for a grand makeover.
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“The new offices have been designed by the talented RKA Architectural Design Studio – and, quite frankly, I am blown away by what they are proposing. These are going to be some of the finest offices not just in Leeds, but in the whole of Yorkshire and the North East.”
Office space will be spread over three floors, with floorplates starting at 4,600 sq ft. A new terrace will provide external space and a new clubroom will be created to serve up internal leisure space. There will be a hot-desking area and social space for all tenants, a glass lobby
Richard Keating, founder and director of RKA, added: “Our three-part vision is, first, to transform the arrival experience and building presence within Millennium Square. A new artist’s mural that fronts the square is a major part of this. Secondly, we will work with and respect the Electric Press’s heritage by maximising the hidden assets to enable users to experience the building’s volume, space and light.
“Thirdly, we will create enhanced amenity spaces for all tenants. These will include new rooftop club room and terrace create spaces for yoga, parties, hot desking and wellness classes, plus the basement facilities with showers and changing rooms. These are all designed in keeping with the transformation upstairs.”
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