City Square House: Developers hail completion of massive new office building by Leeds railway station
Developers have hailed a “massive milestone” as a major new office building next to Leeds railway station is completed.
City Square House, a new 140,000 sq ft office building, has been speculatively developed by MRP and built by McAleer and Rushe.
Around 85 per cent of the building has already been let with new tenants including law firm DLA Piper, SME insurance specialist Markel and professional services consultancy Barnett Waddingham.
Its doors were officially opened on Wednesday night at a reception.
The workspace comprises Grade A office accommodation over 12 storeys.
There is currently 5,600 sq ft of quality office space on the ground floor, with its own private entrance, and 15,900 sq ft on the second floor, still available to lease.
Angus Montieth, Development Director at MRP, said: “The practical completion of City Square House is a massive milestone to celebrate.
"We have created the best-in-class prime office development in Leeds, unrivalled in its location and with sustainability and wellbeing at the heart of its design.
"It boasts an impressive tenant community and we are confident that we will set a new prime rent in Leeds of £40 per sq ft.
“It’s been an amazing journey and a huge collaborative effort to turn the dream of a magnificent Leeds city centre office building into reality.
"It is the final piece of the City Square regeneration plan and a significant investment and vote of confidence in the city.
"I’d like to thank Leeds City Council, who have backed our vision from the very start and have been so supportive, our construction partners McAleer & Rushe, our quality occupiers, who vindicated our decision to develop the building speculatively, and Eamon Fox of Knight Frank, the sole letting agents.
"They have all played their part in the astounding success of City Square House, which is now an integral part of both the Leeds business quarter and the city’s skyscape.”
Jonathan O’Neill, Senior Director at McAleer & Rushe, added: “City Square House has been an exciting, challenging and rewarding project for us.
"Now this iconic building is completed, we are so proud.
"There’s no doubt that City Square House is a magnificent addition to the built environment in Leeds city centre and a symbol of the city’s thriving economy.”
Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency at Knight Frank in Leeds, said: “It is tremendous to see the completion of this flagship building, which provides a very genuine cause to be optimistic about the commercial property sector in Yorkshire.
"We expect this strong demand for the best workspace will continue.”
“City Square House is the iconic new office development that the Leeds market has been waiting for. It underlines the fact that Leeds is now one of the most flourishing regional cities, not just in the UK, but in Europe.”