A supplier of flat packed furniture and home furnishings has acquired substantial new distribution premises in Cleckheaton, which will create up to 50 new local jobs.

Located on Bradford Road in Cleckheaton, the facility was previously home to Westex Flooring. The company has now relocated to Dewsbury.

Lassic Group was represented by property consultancy Gent Visick (GV), as well as Schofield Sweeney, which provided legal advice. The premises were marketed by Michael Steel & Co.

Lassic Group is a family-owned business with existing UK distribution facilities in both Bradford and Brighouse, as well as staff and manufacturing bases in the Far East and South America. The company sources, imports and distributes a vast range of household products and furniture to both national and independent retailers throughout the UK and Europe.

Suresh and Raj Handa of Lassic Group said: “We are absolutely thrilled with our new freehold purchase. The highly sought-after site boasts 175,000 sq ft of warehouse capacity and now gives Lassic Group access to three warehouses with over 400,000 sq ft of total warehouse space. This will allow us to add more products to our portfolio, which allows our business to expand and grow to the next level to become one of leading furniture suppliers in both the UK and EU.

“The transaction will create up to 50 new jobs for the area taking our total head count to around 150 members of staff. GV were instrumental in advising on this transaction, whilst Schofield Sweeney provided fantastic legal advice and guidance throughout. Also, thanks to the teams at HSBC, Dhillon Accountants and all the Lassic Group staff for all their help and support.”

Paul Mack, director at GV, said: “The Westex Building provided a very rare opportunity to acquire the freehold interest in a large-scale distribution facility just off the M62 motorway. We are therefore delighted to have advised Lassic Group on this transaction, whilst working alongside Schofield Sweeney.”

Pardeep Khela, associate at Schofield Sweeney, said: “I am thrilled to get this deal over the line and achieve a great result for the Lassic Group. The site itself is quite complex and involved calling upon our property, banking and environmental expertise to ensure a swift completion. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Lassic Group, GV and HSBC UK Bank plc on this job and wish the Lassic team all the best with their purchase.”

A £3 million refurbishment of the iconic Grade 2-listed Electric Press building in Leeds has been approved by Leeds City Council. The transformation of the building, located in the heart of the city’s Civic Quarter, will provide 17,200 sq ft of prime Grade A office space. Work will start on site in the summer, after the present offices are stripped out, and will complete by June 2023. 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 granting of planning permission is tremendous news. 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. “The 17,200 sq ft Grade A office space will be spread over three floors, with floorplates starting at 4,600 sq ft. We expect serious interest from potential occupiers, once marketing begins. “The magnificent new offices will respect the heritage of the Electric Press, whilst bringing this part of the building into the 21st century. There will be a statement front door, providing a distinctive arrival experience, and the spacious offices will be flooded with light. A brand-new terrace will provide the external space which is currently lacking and a new clubroom will provide internal leisure space. “It also goes without saying, in a world transformed by Covid, that this will be an incredibly safe place to work. There will be a hot-desking area and social space for all tenants, while a glass lobby will provide a visual separation between the existing building and the clubroom,” said Mr Fox. He added: “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.” Richard Keating, founder and director of RKA, explained: “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. Taking inspiration from its arched windows and brick façade, we have designed contemporary reception and lift lobbies that fit seamlessly into the language of the existing industrial building. “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.” Located in Great George Street, next to Millennium Square, in the heart of Leeds Civic Quarter, the three-storey Electric Press contains the 350-seat Carriageworks Theatre and conference facility. It also has bars and restaurants, including All Bar One and Casa Mia. Built in 1840, the Electric Press is one of only a handful of buildings in Leeds city centre still fronted by Victorian arches. This building with its trademark square chimney is Grade II listed, built for the firm of Printers Chorley and Pickersgill. It has 4.3m high ceilings with exposed cast iron and timber structure, designed originally to support the heavy printing presses.

Services at Halifax Bus Station are set to change from later this month (February) as work progresses on a new £17.7 million state-of-the-art facility delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with Calderdale Council. Alongside improved passenger facilities and better access to the town centre, plans for the new station include environmentally friendly features, such as measures to enable the future introduction of electric bus charging points, bike parking and solar panels, a living roof complete with plants, and a water storage tank to manage the flow of rainwater in a storm. Overall, the scheme will deliver more green space as well as other environmental benefits. Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “In my manifesto, I committed to improving public transport, connecting more people with opportunities and helping tackle the climate emergency on our way to becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038. “That is why I am pleased to see work progressing on the new bus station, which will benefit passengers in Halifax and beyond. “We want buses to be the first choice for travel in West Yorkshire – not because you do not have a car, but because they are more affordable, convenient to use, and better for the environment.” From Sunday 27 February, the station entrance, travel centre and bus stands are being relocated to the other side of the site, near the Sunday School Façade and Sainsbury’s on Winding Road. Services 586 and 587, 226, 348 and 349 will also move to town centre bus stops from that date. Most bus services will run from the town centre during the day with some evening services returning to the station from 7pm.  A small number of services are remaining on site throughout. Posters detailing where to catch buses and how to find out more about the project will be displayed at the bus station, on buses, and on key buildings and bus stops across the town centre. Staff will also initially be on hand at the bus station and on-street to help people and answer questions. Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said: “We have been working closely with bus operators and our partners at Calderdale Council to minimise disruption and ensure people can continue to access Halifax town centre by public transport. “Buses have a vital role to play in connecting our communities and helping more people make public transport, as well as walking and cycling, their first choice.” Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, Cllr Jane Scullion, said: “It’s great to see work progressing on the impressive plans to improve Halifax bus station. This latest phase of construction will see work take place on the relocation of the bus station entrance, complementing wider plans to transform travel around the town centre. “This project milestone will require the temporary relocation of services and we thank local people for their patience whilst works are taking place. Once complete, the bus station’s modern and environmentally-friendly features will not only improve the passenger experience but also support Council priorities to tackle the climate emergency and support our town centres.” During this latest phase of works, which is expected to last until summer 2023, the cash and vending machines, as well as the photobooth, will be unavailable. There will not be any public toilets at the bus station during this time.  The nearest facilities are on Albion Street, next to the Borough Market’s southern entrance, which is within walking distance and closer to most bus services that have been moved to existing stops in the town centre. The new Halifax Bus Station is part of a wider package of schemes to transform the way people travel in and around the town. It is being delivered with money from the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which is helping to transform gateways to towns and cities across the region by making it easier to walk, cycle and use public transport. Construction work is expected to continue until summer 2023.