How Bruntwood SciTech is developing a new office concept for the 'hotbed' of tech and digital startups

The 250,000 sq ft West Village project is part of Bruntwood SciTech’s £50m Pioneer programme - the scheme that creates workspaces centred on six key pillars: biophilia, art, sustainability, wellness, amenity and technology.

It will feature a coffee shop, a fitness studio space, called Reset Leeds, operated in partnership with training brand Form, and a central courtyard, where Bruntwood SciTech is creating a landscaped ‘urban oasis’.

As construction draws to a close, West Village is almost 75 per cent let and has attracted 21 start-ups so far, alongside more established businesses, including QBE, PEXA and Advisory Insurance Brokers.

"It’s been great, it’s got a lot of traction and there’s still a strong pipeline of interest in the remaining space,” Andrew Cooke, regional director for Leeds at Bruntwood SciTech, told The Yorkshire Post.

"We have 420 service space desks in there and we’re seeing some of the more established businesses looking at increased flexibility as well as the startups.”

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A study by Leeds University Business School in 2022 found that almost three-quarters of people preferred to work in the office at least once a week and 30 per cent would like access to a “third space”, such as a co-working office. Just 18 per cent said their office had been adapted specifically to support hybrid working.

Mr Cooke added: "We’re definitely seeing a continuation of businesses trying to figure out hybrid working.

"Businesses used to be controlled by the main decision makers looking at the financials. Yes financials are still important but their colleagues are voting with their feet. We want people to come to West Village to collaborate, to actually spend time there because it’s a great place to do it.”

The West Village scheme follows the success of its Platform office building, which opened in 2017 at Leeds Station and is home to more than 100 businesses plus its Female Founders Forum.

"There is definitely a hotbed of tech and digital startups within the city at the moment which is really driving quite a lot of interest that we’ve had, not only at West Village but Platform as well,” Mr Cooke said.

Data from Leeds Digital Festival and The Data City shows that the Leeds cyber sector grew by 9.9 per cent during 2023, while the UK cyber sector as a whole eased by 0.6 per cent.

At the same time, venture capital investment into Leeds startups grew by 88 per cent last year - an indicator of the city’s attractiveness as a place to invest.

Mr Cooke said: “What Leeds is doing fantastically is academics, the private sector, public sector, all working very closely together.

"They have got a very strong ambition around the Innovation Arc in Leeds and a strong defined ambition to bring those type of businesses into the city.”

He added: “I think every single business that we speak to now is on a curve of innovation.

"That’s where Bruntwood SciTech, with our access to network and our access to finance, can help. Should they need it, our customers can gain access to all those all those different partners and hopefully foster more growth in future.”