Urbanite secures green light to develop gateway site for residential scheme in Leeds city centre
Urbanite Living has secured planning consent, subject to conditions, to develop the former Yorkshire Post site in Leeds and deliver one of the city centre’s largest new residential and student living scheme.
The Leeds based developer plans to build three mixed residential towers with new amenity and public realm on the prominent gateway site that has been vacant since the Yorkshire Post group relocated in 2014.
The £400 million scheme includes three residential towers, ranging in height from 25-42 storeys, designed by DLA Architecture with Quod acting as planning consultant. The tallest two will contain 1,782 student beds in a total of 576 cluster apartments, along with ground-breaking leisure and well-being facilities. The third building will provide 348 private rent apartments with significant landscaped roof gardens, taking advantage of south facing riverside views.
Key features of the brownfield regeneration project will include a micro-forest, public square and riverside walk, joining the site up with further parts of new public realm along the riverfront.
Urbanite has pledged to work alongside Leeds city councillors to restore and resurrect the iconic Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post mast heads and digital clock/temperate gauge within the site.
Urbanite is part of Asset Capital, a leading residential and commercial property investment company with a gross development value of more than £6 billion. The company has a development pipeline of over 3,500 student bedrooms across Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leicester as well as Leeds and York, and is progressing further site acquisitions in key University cities across the UK.
Last year, Urbanite announced a £1 billion partnership with Prescient Capital to deliver over 6,500 student bedrooms over the next three to five years. Prescient had previously appointed Rick Gambetta of Hexagon Finance to assist with the funding of this significant development.
Daniel Newett, a founder of Urbanite, said, “We are delighted to secure planning consent in principal to develop this strategically important, landmark site and deliver much needed new mixed tenure housing in the city centre.
“Leeds remains one of the UK’s top university destinations with education space as well as student applications continuing to increase at a rapid pace. Furthermore, with a 30% year on year increase of graduate students staying in Leeds, the demand for rental accommodation is at an all time high.
“This scheme delivers uncompromising living spaces with fantastic public realm that is both sustainable and adaptable for the future whilst also supporting health and wellbeing of its occupants.”
Sue Sparling, Director at DLA Architecture who is currently advising on many strategic mixed developments in Leeds City Centre, said, “We are very pleased to receive the support of Councillors on the City Centre Plans Panel for our proposed scheme on this important gateway into the city. Our design narrative really embodies the former uses of the site, woollen mill to paper mill, and embraces the local characteristics of the surrounding conservation area through form, materials and tone to create a new landmark scheme for Leeds.”
Huddersfield Unlimited appoints new board director and chair of transport and connectivity
Huddersfield Unlimited, the business-led organisation that stands for the town of Huddersfield, has appointed Leah Stuart as their new director of transport, chairing its transport and connectivity group to help drive forward the organisation’s aims to improve Huddersfield’s transport links and increase infrastructure investment in the town.
Leah brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge from her background working in urban regeneration, infrastructure engineering and transport planning across the UK. A Chartered Civil Engineer with more than 20 years’ experience, she is also a member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Climate, Energy and Environment Committee, which oversees projects and spending to reach net zero in West Yorkshire,
Speaking of her appointment, Leah Stuart said: “I am passionate about making great places and I know the value that inclusive movement networks and good public realm can bring. My work across the country has shown how supporting active travel and public transport, so that it is easy and accessible for everyone, can have a huge positive impact on communities, businesses, and the environment. I want Huddersfield to be a better place to live as it has so many fantastic assets.”
As part of her role, Leah will be working with social enterprise, Create Streets. The organisation works with neighbourhoods and communities to understand more about what people like and dislike about where they live. In Huddersfield, this information will be used to develop a vision for change.
She will also be acting as a ‘critical friend’ during the consultation processes for the Transpennine Upgrade and associated local network improvements, which are led by Kirklees Council. The Transpennine Upgrade will deliver a faster and more reliable train service and Huddersfield is in a fantastic position to capitalise on this, especially with its strategic location between Leeds and Manchester. However, during the construction period there are likely to be travel disruptions, and therefore Huddersfield Unlimited is exploring ways to mitigate these impacts, to seek maximum short-term benefit and long-term learning from any temporary interventions.
“I want Huddersfield to be a great place to live, where people want to spend time and build their lives. This means a thriving local economy, easy and safe travel, low emissions, and more green and blue infrastructure (trees, planting, and nature-based drainage solutions)” said Leah.
“Buses need to be cleaner, greener, more affordable, safe, regular, and comfortable. They need to interlink with excellent rail services, safe walking routes and dedicated cycle facilities so that people’s door to door journeys are seamless. Walking, cycling, and using public transport should be easier and quicker than using the car. People of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and abilities need to feel confident to use public transport at all times of the day and night,” she continued.
Sir John Harman, chairman of Huddersfield Unlimited, said: “We are delighted to appoint Leah as our new board director of transport, chairing the transport and connectivity working group. We believe with her vast policy creation, strategic planning and design experience, she will be an asset not only to the Huddersfield Unlimited team, but Huddersfield as a town.”
Grimsby Town slip to £930,000 loss despite turnover rise
Grimsby Town have slipped to a £931,000 loss in newly released accounts for the football club’s year ending May 2022, dipping from a £196,000 profit in the year prior.
Turnover however increased by over 26% from £3.5m to £4.4m thanks to the return of fans to the ground following the COVID-19 pandemic – to the highest level in nearly 20 years – and a successful season on the pitch which saw promotion to League Two. Matchday receipts increased to £1.4m compared to £680,000 in 2021 and there was an increase in revenue from commercial and hospitality activities.
Due to the prior year’s relegation, income from sources such as the Premier League, EFL and National League reduced from £1.5 million to £720,000.
Grimsby Town’s new owners invested £1.5m of loans into the company during the year, ensuring the club’s progress, some of which was used to repay debt in the form of loans from the previous principal shareholder and the balance was used to fund improving operations and infrastructure of the club.
Thousands of government jobs moved to Yorkshire and north-west
More than 11,000 government roles have been relocated out of London and across the UK under the Places for Growth programme, the Cabinet Office has announced.
The north-west has seen the most roles created, with around 2,100 government jobs previously based in London now operating from Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Sefton. Yorkshire and Humber has also benefited significantly from the jobs boost, with around 1,800 more civil servant roles now based in Leeds and Sheffield.
Around eight out of ten roles relocated under the programme have been filled by local people. For example, Home Office roles tackling exploitation and abuse which were previously operating in London are now based in the north-west while Cabinet Office officials working on the government’s counter-fraud response are also now working in Manchester. Both departments have moved around 450 roles to Greater Manchester so far.
Government modelling expects that the programme will provide an economic boost of between £260m – £1.4bn in total across the country, helping to deliver on one of the Prime Minister’s key promises to grow the economy.
Latest relocation studies suggest a local economic benefit of £30 million per 1,000 roles relocated, which suggests the moves to Greater Manchester could generate more than £60 million in economic benefits to the area.
Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin visited the site of a new Hub in Manchester which is set to be completed by 2025. He said: “The programme to move government roles out of London is a key part of the plan to deliver on the Prime Minister’s top priorities, particularly when it comes to growing the economy across the whole UK.
“By putting local voices at the heart of policy-making, we’re also moving power out of Westminster and into the hands of communities.
“I am so pleased to be in Manchester today as we kick off construction on the new First Street Government Hub, which will enable hundreds of jobs to move to Manchester and bring millions of pounds to the local economy.”
The Places for Growth programme has committed to moving 22,000 roles out of London by 2030. Its core aim is to utilise the vast talent pool spread across the UK, whilst ensuring that the civil service is reflective of the communities it serves.
The 11,168 roles relocated so far mean that over half of this target has been met in less than three years, with further roles set to move in the near future.
These include 700 roles which will move to the Manchester First Street Hub, a c12,000 square metre development which will open in 2025 to provide a new home for civil servants currently based in Manchester, in addition to staff relocated from London.
Once complete the site will be one of the largest for cross-government collaboration outside London, providing office accommodation and different types of areas for people to work and collaborate, as well as enabling efficiencies through digitally-enabled office space.
Ben Rimmington, a Director General at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, was previously based in London before moving North to be closer to family. He said: “It has been a really fantastic experience to lead the growth of the BEIS and now DESNZ presence in Salford.
“I have been hugely impressed by the collective commitment to show that you don’t have to be in London all the time to do even the most senior ‘Whitehall’ jobs, and I think people are seeing that you can now build a rewarding, varied career in the Civil Service without having to move to the South East.”
Leeds-based training provider snapped up
Kingdom Services Group has acquired Dutton Fisher Associates Ltd, the Leeds-based national training provider.
The company, along with Kingdom Training, will be rebranded as Kingdom Academy and will become part of Kingdom Group.
Directors and business owners Paul Dutton and Jo Fisher will continue to lead the company along with the existing senior management team.
It will be a soft transition and business as usual for the Dutton Fisher customers, learners, and colleagues – but with all the benefits that Kingdom can provide, which include wider ‘one stop’ service capabilities, working synergies, specialist knowledge, and customer and people solutions that come from being part of a 7000+ colleague and £250m turnover organisation operating across a UK-wide office network.
Directors and business owners Paul Dutton and Jo Fisher said: “We are excited to be joining the Kingdom Group that shares our company values and will provide solid foundations for the continued success of the company for years ahead. Our focus on delivering quality provision and excellent partnership working with clients will remain at the heart of what we do.”
Kingdom Group CEO Terry Barton said: “Training is at the very forefront of every company within the Kingdom Group. Having the expertise of Paul and Jo to lead our Kingdom Academy company makes us even stronger as a business but also makes Kingdom a serious training provider to support our existing and new customer needs. That is a serious proposition indeed along with all the other fantastic services we provide.
“I welcome Paul, Jo, and their team into Kingdom. Dutton Fisher is an excellent business with values that match our own and this is another exciting acquisition completed early in 2023 that supports our 2023 ambitions.
“My team will support Paul and Jo in achieving their own aspirations and with a seamless integration to ensure we absorb the very best of both companies.”
Plans backed to progress proposed devolution deal
The Government has been urged to press ahead with plans to bring a host of benefits to hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses in North Yorkshire through a much-anticipated devolution deal.
Members have backed proposals at a full council meeting (on Friday, 24 February) to send the results of a public consultation to Ministers to progress plans to create a mayoral combined authority.
Residents, businesses and charity and voluntary organisations took part in the consultation in York and North Yorkshire to gather the public’s views on the proposed devolution deal, which would give more funding and far greater decision-making powers to the region.
Most respondents were generally in favour of the proposed governance of the devolution deal, with organisations including the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network recognising that it is a tried and tested model for building strong local leadership with new powers.
The plans for devolution, which is a key policy under the Government’s levelling up agenda, are set to bring wide-ranging benefits to the 615,000 residents and more than 32,000 businesses in North Yorkshire, including new jobs, more affordable housing and measures to tackle climate change.
Following support from the public for the proposed deal, it is hoped that a combined authority, which would be responsible for overseeing devolved decision-making powers and millions of pounds of funding for both York and North Yorkshire, will be established later this year. Mayoral elections would follow in 2024.
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The decision by members at full council today represents the latest milestone in the journey to bringing devolution to North Yorkshire.
“The benefits of devolution are clearly evident elsewhere in Yorkshire, and we are committed to making sure that North Yorkshire is also given the chance to see the real opportunities that decision-making on a far more local level would bring.
“I would urge Ministers to progress plans following the support that devolution has received from the public. The creation of a mayoral combined authority later this year would then help pave the way for what I do believe is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring devolution to North Yorkshire which will help transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”
The combined authority is set to be overseen by an elected mayor, co-ordinating key strategic projects ranging from major transport improvements and boosting skills and education to providing more affordable housing in York and North Yorkshire.
The mayor would act as an influential figurehead for York and North Yorkshire, developing close links with the Government to secure more funding and decision-making powers as the devolution deal evolves over the coming years.
The public consultation was conducted in North Yorkshire under the Let’s Talk banner, which asked for people’s views on the proposed devolution deal. People were also asked how the new North Yorkshire Council, which will launch on April 1, will serve local communities and as well as its financial priorities.
A total of 1,943 people completed the survey in full for the devolution element of the public consultation, expressing views on a range of topics including housing, transport, skills and employment and climate change. The response rate is understood to have compared favourably to other devolution engagement campaigns with the public elsewhere in the country.
The eight-week consultation ran until 16 December, and views were gathered through face-to-face engagement events, an online survey and via letters and emails.
A total of 54% of respondents online either strongly supported or supported the proposed governance of the mayoral combined authority, while 32% were opposed or strongly opposed with the remainder not expressing a view or stating they did not know.
Work to curb climate change that is due to be introduced through devolution was welcomed, especially to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well as promoting more sustainable transport.
A total of 63% of respondents online either strongly supported or supported plans for the proposed combined authority to work with the Government on climate change, while 23% were opposed or strongly opposed with the remainder not expressing a view or stating they did not know.
Cllr Les, who will assume the leadership of North Yorkshire Council from 1 April, stressed that the mayor is due to be elected by residents of York and North Yorkshire so they would be directly accountable to the electorate at the ballot box. Their activities would also be scrutinised by an overview and scrutiny committee.
Cllr Les added: “It would be vital that the mayoral combined authority would work closely with both the new North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council to listen and ensure the views and priorities of communities and businesses across the whole area are represented.”
Members of City of York Council agreed on Thursday (23 February) to send the results of the public engagement to the Government to consider creating the mayoral combined authority for York and North Yorkshire.
Seasonal workers’ pay to return to National Living Wage from April, farmers told
Mr Spence said: “If we are able to look after those people properly while they’re here, give them a minimum of 32 hours of work every week, and I am pleased to confirm today that we will pay them at least the national living wage from 1 April, this year,” he continued.
The announcement follows months of extensive NFU lobbying set against a backdrop of major inflationary and input cost pressures for the horticulture sector. NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw described the decision as having provided “great relief” to growers, with labour being “one of the highest costs associated with producing fruit and vegetables”.
“Looking after the people that come to work in our horticultural businesses is absolutely crucial and the additional guarantee of a minimum 32 hours per week will help give them confidence to travel to the UK,” he said.
Introduced in April 2022, a 60p per hour wage increase was included as part of the Seasonal Worker Scheme which left growers facing a 13.5% year-on-year wage inflation.
The NFU raised concerns during 2022 around the lack of clarity surrounding the wage increase and the short notice of the changes, giving growers only weeks to adapt during a time when the sector was, and still is, facing unprecedented challenges.
“Growers need confidence to continue producing food for the nation”, Tom said. “We worked with government to provide evidence to demonstrate the impact further wage inflation in 2023 would have on the decline of domestic horticulture production.”
While the NFU welcomes the announcement that the seasonal worker scheme wage will revert to the NWL, Mr Bradshaw warned that there remained a number of aspects of the scheme that could be improved, adding: “growers will at least have some certainty for the year ahead.”
Recruitment firm doubles space at Leeds office development
Expanding Leeds recruitment firm Verrus has doubled its office space at the Broad Gate development in the heart of the city.
Verrus is taking 5,250 sq ft of quality office space with its workforce expected to increase from 42 to 85 by the end of next year.
Ian Cundale, Chief Executive Officer of Verrus, explained: “These are exciting times for us. We continue to expand across the globe, with an already established footprint in Europe and North America and increasing revenues throughout South America and APAC regions.
“The combination of Brexit and Covid forced us to review our recruitment model and has made us much more flexible and fleet-footed in our approach. Despite these challenging economic times, we are extremely confident about the future.
“Crucially, our established team in Leeds provides executive recruitment solutions that minimise risk and maximise return on investment for businesses in a range of industries worldwide.
“Our hiring experience and sector-specific insight means that our clients are able to make key hiring decisions with greater confidence, selecting candidates based on more than skills and experience but also on cultural fit and synergy of vision.”
Eamon Fox, partner and head of development at global property consultancy Knight Frank in Leeds, said: “Verrus’ renewed commitment to Broad Gate is a resounding endorsement of one of Leeds’ most impressive mixed-use buildings. The excellent location, overlooking The Headrow, a 5-minute walk from Leeds Rail Station, creates a business destination with all the benefits of the city centre on its doorstep.”
The 300,000 sq ft development comprises four floors of Grade A office space and a suite of penthouse offices, together with four retail units, a roof terrace, shower and locker facilities.
Verrus first moved into Broad Gate in 2011 and Ian Cundale believes it is the perfect base for his predominantly young and dynamic team.
“Apart from its excellent facilities and attractive office space, together with parking, Broad Gate is close to the beating heart of Leeds, with bars, restaurants and nightlife all close by which is ideal for a dynamic recruitment company. In view of all this, the decision to expand within the building, rather than look for office premises elsewhere, was an easy one to make.”
Occupiers in Broad Gate include KPMG, Yorkshire Building Society, Colliers, Kaplan, Hays Recruitment and Lifesearch.
Broad Gate was formerly the home of Lewis’s, the first department store in Leeds, which was built in 1932, and then Allders.
Lights, camera, action! Hull markets itself as a film location
Hull is stepping up its profile as a filming location hotspot just as Apple TV arrive with the city’s biggest production to date.
‘Blitz’ is currently filming at locations across the city, including Hepworth Arcade and Walton Street fairground, over the next two and a half weeks, and has recruited more than 750 extras to be involved.
Hull City Council is now capitalising on this and other successful productions, including Enola Holmes 2, The Crown, The Extraordinary Life of David Copperfield and A Royal Night Out, by developing a TV and Film Prospectus and marketing plan.
The prospectus will detail how the council has moved from simply being a location finder to a full-service provider. It sets out all the services the council can offer, including professional management services, client liaison and onsite operational delivery.
The council’s partnership with Screen Yorkshire has helped to showcase the city to national and international location managers and producers, resulting in regular site visits and more filming already scheduled. The prospectus will help to further promote the city’s offer to this important creative sector.
Councillor Mike Ross, said: “The council’s events and destinations teams have been working closely with film and TV location managers for a number of years now, building strong relationships and the reputation of the city as a prime location.
“It is clear we can and do provide more than just somewhere that looks great – we have an incredibly professional set-up and our reputation is building across the film industry.
“But now we want to take it up to the next level, and that’s why we’re now launching our prospectus. I am sure our city can reap the reward as Hull takes on more of these exciting productions.”
Beal returns to Kingswood with £30m King’s Fold development
More than 150 new homes are coming to Hull’s thriving Kingswood community as multi award-winning housebuilder Beal Homes reveals details of its latest development.
The £30m King’s Fold development will feature a collection of two and three-bedroom homes built in mews style, arranged around courtyards to create a village feel, on a 10-acre site off Barnes Way in the Kingswood Parks area.
A sales launch for King’s Fold is expected to be held this spring, with construction due to start in the summer and the first buyers likely to move into their new homes in mid-2024. More than 200 would-be buyers have already expressed their interest in the development.
Jamie Barrington, Sales Operations Manager at East Yorkshire-based Beal Homes, said: “We’re delighted to announce our return to Kingswood with our latest development, King’s Fold.
“The consistently strong demand for all of our previous developments in the area has shown just how popular Kingswood Parks is and we expect King’s Fold to be no different.
“King’s Fold will be perfect for first-time buyers, families, professionals and downsizers alike. It’s in such a popular area, with a wide variety of shopping, leisure and dining options all on the doorstep.
“This development has been designed to form a village-style community within the wider Kingswood neighbourhood.
“We’ve had a great deal of interest already and we’re asking homebuyers to register for King’s Fold on our website so they’re informed about the forthcoming sales launch as soon as it is confirmed.”
The development will mark a return to Kingswood where Beal has delivered more than 1,200 homes over the past 26 years and has played a leading role in creating a vibrant community.
Simon Parker, Contracts Manager at Beal, has worked for the housebuilder for 30 years. In that time, he has been involved in more than a dozen Beal developments at Kingswood.
He said: “I’ve been working with Beal on Kingswood since the very first brick was laid and over the past 26 years it’s grown into something of a second home for me.
“Kingswood remains one of the most sought-after areas of the city and King’s Fold will reinforce that reputation. I look forward to seeing construction begin and to the development taking shape.”
