< Previous10 Business Link www.blmforum.net COMMERCIAL PROPERTY An eye on Leeds’ offices A standout office market for the region, Leeds continues to see new plans come forth, lettings made, and acquisitions secured. City Square House W ith a strong business environment and talent pool — particularly for tech and finance — good connectivity, as well as a thriving cultural scene, vast regeneration, and lower cost of living, companies continue to choose Leeds for their office moves and investments. Halfway through 2025, city centre take-up reached 325,611 sq ft, down slightly on the same period last year (349,332 sq ft) but meeting the long-term average, according to the Leeds Office Agents Forum (LOAF). A number of fresh deals have been sealed in the city, such as business and financial advisor Grant Thornton’s letting of 9,974 sq ft of prime office space at MRP’s City Square House. The high- profile office deal brokered by Knight Frank sees Grant Thornton relocate from Whitehall Riverside to the 140,000 sq ft City Square House development in the heart of the city. Dan Dickinson, partner and practice leader for Yorkshire at Grant Thornton UK, said: “We’re very excited to have agreed this exceptional new space in the heart of Leeds city centre. The building’s sustainability credentials, substantial amenities and modern design will provide our people with a great base from which to support our clients in the region.” Grant Thornton will be joining Liberty Global, Barnett Waddingham, DLA Piper and Markel in the building. Eamon Fox, partner and head of the Leeds office of Knight Frank, added: “This latest signing means the development is now 96% occupied, 12 months from completion of the building. Securing this prestigious deal is a very significant and positive statement of www.blmforum.net Business Link 11 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY intent in the long-term future prosperity of office space in Leeds and, indeed, in urban centres throughout the UK. We expect this strong demand for some of very best workspace in the city will continue.” Alex Hailey, at the Leeds office of property consultancy CBRE, advised Grant Thornton. It follows Catella APAM securing a 10- year letting to HGF, one of Europe’s leading intellectual property firms, at One City Square, acting on behalf of Danish pension fund Britannia Invest. Opposite Leeds Station, One City Square provides high-specification office space with modern amenities and an established occupier community. The building is home to a diverse range of professional, legal and advisory firms. Chalwe Silwizya, senior asset manager at Catella APAM, said: “We are pleased to welcome HGF to One City Square, following the successful completion of our Cat A refurbishment on the 4th floor. This letting underscores the building’s strong appeal to global occupiers and reflects continued tenant demand for high-quality, Grade A office space, as the ‘flight to quality’ trend continues to drive market activity.” Fox Lloyd Jones acted for Catella APAM, with Newmark representing HGF. Furthermore, cloud and infrastructure specialists Corefinity have taken 3,024 sq ft of office space at Joseph’s Well. Managed by J Pullan & Sons Ltd (Pullans), Joseph’s Well is a refurbished former mill that now serves as a multi-let office building offering modern amenities, on-site parking, meeting rooms, and a business lounge. Bruce Strachan, property director at Pullans, said: “We’re really pleased to welcome Corefinity to Joseph’s Well. It’s great to see an innovative, growing tech business choosing to base themselves here. We’ve worked hard to create high- quality, flexible spaces that meet the needs of modern businesses, and it’s rewarding to see that recognised. The building also offers room to expand, which means we can continue supporting Corefinity as they grow.” Carter Towler and WSB are joint marketing agents for Joseph’s Well. Navid Nadali, director at Corefinity, added: “As Corefinity continues to grow, we were seeking a modern workspace that could support our current operations and allow us to scale further. Joseph’s Well stood out to us because of its character, central location, and excellent facilities. The flexibility and quality of the space made it the ideal environment for our team and for welcoming our partners and clients.” Meanwhile, showing demand for Leeds’ business parks and industrial estates, the 93,000 sq ft City West, close to Junction 1 of the M621, has been bought by property company Overcliff Ltd. The business park, whose occupiers include Regus, Cennox, Ascensor and Sedgwick, was previously owned by Harbert and asset managed by XLB Property. The office park is now managed by Salford-based Davlea Estates, who have appointed Knight Frank and Sanderson Weatherall as joint letting agents. Under the new ownership, there will be investment in the buildings, improving the reception area to create a sense of arrival, together with high-quality end-of-journey facilities. In addition, at Thorpe Park, independent property consultancy Edwards has acquired Centrum 4600, a Grade A office investment, on behalf of a private investor. The 21,433 sq ft four- 12 Á Town Centre Securities PLC’s ‘Z’ office development12 Business Link www.blmforum.net COMMERCIAL PROPERTY storey office building was acquired for £5.85m. The building serves as the UK headquarters of Dr. Oetker (UK) Limited, who committed to a new 15-year lease in 2022 following a comprehensive refurbishment. The ground floor also hosts 4,965 sq ft of retail and leisure space, let to Greggs and Francos. Newmark acted on behalf of the vendor, Quasar Real Estate. Northern property developer Breck, moreover, has purchased a new 4,400 sq ft two-storey office, located at the Millshaw Park industrial estate. Knight Frank was Breck’s sales agent for the purchase and Napthens provided legal advice. As lettings and acquisitions are made, plans for new offices are also being unveiled, such as Town Centre Securities PLC’s (TCS) proposals for Z – a future- focused 111,000 sq ft office development at Whitehall Riverside. The 11-storey building will deliver workspace that blends intelligent building systems, high sustainability credentials, and distinctive architecture. Craig Burrow, group property director at TCS, said: “As workspace continues to evolve, Z has been designed to be more than just a building. Set within an unrivalled riverside location, it provides best-in- class, smart, energy-efficient office spaces, with the highest level of amenity. We are excited to be setting new standards with a new breed of workspace.” Z will feature cutting-edge technologies that monitor air quality, occupancy, and energy usage in real time – empowering occupiers to make data-driven decisions. Flexible floorplates and a variety of workspace formats will be supported by a communal rooftop terrace, lounge areas, multipurpose spaces, and meeting and event facilities. TCS is currently in discussions with potential occupiers and plans to bring forward Z as a key component of the wider Whitehall Riverside masterplan. This includes a new flagship CitiPark multi-storey car park and travel hub. Set within a reimagined public realm, Z will connect directly to the River Aire via landscaped walkways, rain gardens, and biodiverse planting. The ground floor will feature a riverside terrace, on-site café, and social spaces to support both work and leisure. City West business park Joseph’s Well Armstrong house Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN31 2QE Tel: (01472) 310301 Email: s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Superb Location - - Close to the ports of Grimsby & Immingham - Great motorway links - Close to the town centre Secure off street parking High speed internet availability A range of affordable office sizes 3 3 3 3 Last remaining office suites Prime location in Grimsby Offering a prime position in Grimsby, Armstrong House on Armstrong Street is ideally located. Close to the ports of Grimsby and Immingham, motorway links and the town centre, off-street parking is also available for all staff and visitors, meaning it’s convenient too. Our spacious, welcoming offices are located on the ground floor and are both secure and CCTV-monitored, giving you the ultimate peace of mind. At Armstrong House, when it comes to affordability and with a range of office sizes there are opportunities for all types of business. If you require virtual office services, prices start from just £15 per month. For more information, or to discuss your office requirements call 01472 310301.14 Business Link www.blmforum.net HUMBER BANK F rom its long industrial heritage to its future as an innovative region driving forward Net Zero, the Humber has a crucial role to play in the decarbonisation of the country. Known as the UK’s Energy Estuary, generating 20% of the UK’s electricity, one-third of the UK’s refinery products, and with around one-fifth of all gas imported into the UK entering via the Humber, the region has become a prime location for investment, attracting over £72bn in the last decade. As the country’s biggest carbon emitting industrial cluster - with some Driving forward decarbonisation Driving forward decarbonisation The Humber is set to play a leading role in the country’s decarbonisation, providing clean energy while tackling industrial emissions at a time when the Government has hailed the clean energy transition as the “economic opportunity of the 21st century.” www.blmforum.net Business Link 15 HUMBER BANK 20 million tonnes of carbon emitted every year - the area is developing a greener identity and solutions, as a world-leading hub for clean energy and industrial decarbonisation. While the value of the Humber’s offshore wind industry is well established, now pushing ahead the region’s eco-evolution are carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects and hydrogen power, both of which are making progress. Aiming to capture, transport and store CO2 at scale, preventing it from entering the atmosphere, in April an application for the ‘Viking CCS Pipeline’, supporting Harbour Energy’s Viking CCS project, was granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The project includes a new 55 km onshore buried pipeline connecting the Immingham Industrial Cluster to the redeveloped Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal, transporting captured CO2 before it continues on to the depleted Viking gas fields, 140km off the Lincolnshire coast and 9,000 ft below the seabed. With plans to store 15 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2035, it is estimated the Viking CCS project could capture over 50% of Humber emissions. In a further step forward in June, as part of the Spending Review, the Government pledged development funding to the Viking project, backing an opportunity to clean up heavy industry, secure private 16 Á16 Business Link www.blmforum.net capital, and bolster economic growth via low-carbon infrastructure. It will also preserve an industrial hub on the road to Net Zero, with estimates that decarbonising industries in the Humber provides a route to safeguard over 20,000 jobs. Concurrently, the Humber is becoming a low carbon hydrogen hotspot. A key fuel that can be used in heavy industry, transport and power generation as a low carbon alternative, in April, Uniper’s Humber H2ub (Green) project was shortlisted in the Government’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2) programme; a scheme aiming to support the development of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK. Uniper’s project will see the development of a new green hydrogen production facility (in which hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources) at its Killingholme site. The firm has already signed a collaboration agreement with Phillips 66 Limited to work together towards a supply of green hydrogen from the Humber H2ub (Green) project to Phillips 66 Limited’s Humber Refinery. The hydrogen would replace some refinery fuel gas in industrial scale fired heaters as part of Phillips 66 Limited’s plans to reduce the Humber Refinery’s scope 1 operational emissions. Following a due diligence and negotiation process, projects to be awarded contracts with the Government will be announced in 2026. In the meantime, marking progress, Uniper announced in May that it had selected ITM Power as the electrolyser supplier for its Humber H2ub (Green) project, facilitating hydrogen production. Turning to hydrogen to slash emissions in the area has already been seen, with INEOS completing a £30m investment at its Hull manufacturing site, converting the facility to run on clean- burning hydrogen instead of natural gas. A 75% cut in carbon emissions is the result, the equivalent of taking around 160,000 petrol cars off the road. INEOS Acetyls is an industrial scale manufacturer of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and ethyl acetate, essential chemicals used in everyday life, from medicines to clean water. With the investment, INEOS’ Saltend-based site now operates with dramatically lower emissions. The hydrogen used at the site is produced as a co-product from existing manufacturing processes, making it an efficient use of resources. David Brooks, CEO, INEOS Acetyls, said: “We’ve put £30 million into Hull to do the right thing – cut emissions, clean up the site, and future-proof our operations. We’ve slashed CO2 by 75%. That’s not a plan. That’s a result. Like most chemical businesses in the UK, we are working hard to compete in global markets while facing some of the highest energy and carbon costs in the world. This investment is another step in our plans to supply the UK and European markets with highly reliable and low carbon products.” Meanwhile, one of the UK’s most ambitious hydrogen infrastructure programmes took a significant stride forward in June, with £96m Ofgem www.blmforum.net Business Link 21 HUMBER BANK region, Yorkshire and the East Midlands. The partnership led by National Gas, Cadent and Northern Gas Networks will play an important role in helping power generation and heavy industry across the East Coast transition from natural gas to low-carbon hydrogen, to protect jobs, keep businesses running, and deliver the infrastructure needed to support the UK’s future hydrogen economy. The Ofgem funding will be used to carry out engineering, planning and public consultation on proposals. It follows £500m announced by Government for regional hydrogen transport and storage networks as part of the Spending Review. Helping to support these investments is a drive to provide the region with the skills required for green jobs. Work started in June on industrial training organisation CATCH’s new facility, which comes as part of plans to scale up the number of engineering construction trades people required to build, operate and maintain the UK’s energy security infrastructure. Featuring a new central atrium, lecture theatre, event and breakout space including AR/VR suite and Board Room, the expansion will lead initiatives and projects to build academic partnerships, STEM careers & educational outreach, reskilling and upskilling delegates employed or seeking employment in the Humber industrial cluster where new jobs are being created in clean power and through deployment of new technologies in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. The Humber Freeport has provided £4m of funding towards the industry backed CATCH expansion, as the Freeport, alongside propelling investment through its tax sites, keeps its focus on three themes – innovation, decarbonisation and skills. The Humber Freeport itself is also thus key for establishing the region as a clean energy powerhouse, and has already seen the expansion of Siemens Gamesa’s wind turbine blade factory in Hull by 41,600 square metres, more than doubling the size of the manufacturing facility, and representing an investment of £186m in the local area. The Humber will hold a vital role in the country’s decarbonisation, providing cleaner energy while tackling industrial emissions. Bringing together wind power, CCS, hydrogen, and other sustainable power sources and projects, a greener future is certainly on the horizon. It comes at a time when the Government has hailed the clean energy transition as the “economic opportunity of the 21st century,” with the publication of the Industrial Strategy earlier this year. With the Humber’s ambitious plans, its chance to spearhead the UK’s green industrial revolution has arrived. funding confirmed to support its next phase. East Coast Hydrogen will repurpose and build new gas pipelines to deliver clean hydrogen at scale across the North East, the Humber 18 Business Link www.blmforum.net PRINTING & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT Innovation reshapes packaging and print www.blmforum.net Business Link 19 PRINTING & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT P ackaging used to be an afterthought. Now it sits at the centre of commercial decisions, shaped by what shoppers want, what retailers demand and what regulations insist on. That shift is reshaping supply chains across the region, creating new priorities for companies that produce, design and print. The biggest change is the materials themselves. Plastics are still everywhere, but the amount of energy going into finding replacements is accelerating. Boards made from recycled fibre, compostable films that can withstand a supermarket shelf, and coated papers that offer barrier protection without compromising recyclability are all pushing forward. These are no longer 20 Á From recyclable fibres to smart labelling, rapid change in design and pro- duction is setting a new competitive standard for manufacturers and retailers alike. Next >