New HQ for diocese as Church of England centralises its regional operations

THE Church of England has opened up a new head office for the Diocese of Leeds after combining four regional outposts into one building.
New headquarters for the Church of England's Leeds Diocese in York PlaceNew headquarters for the Church of England's Leeds Diocese in York Place
New headquarters for the Church of England's Leeds Diocese in York Place

The move has seen 100 administrative staff in the Leeds, Wakefield, Steeton and Harrogate offices come together in the diocese’s refurbished new home at York Place in Leeds city centre.

Eddisons agency director Steven Jones acquired the self-contained, 18,000 sq ft office building at 17-19 York Place for the diocese in March, when the firm was instructed to find a Leeds city centre building suitable for 100 staff, with meeting and training rooms. The offices were required to be freehold and no more than 10 minutes walk from the train station.

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The Eddisons building and project consultancy team, headed by national director Ian Harrington, was also appointed to project manage the entire refurbishment of the building, from initial design concept through to managing the move and ensuring staff made a smooth transition to the new workplace.

A new IT system was put in and solar panels were also installed on the roof of the building in line with the diocese’s green agenda. The scheme includes the Cielo coffee shop at street level, which aims to help the church engage with the wider community.

Mr Harrington said; “This has been a major project and it has been immensely satisfying that, as a firm, we have had the opportunity to oversee the creation of the diocese’s new home, from the acquisition of the building right through to overseeing the final details of the refurbishment. The whole team is proud of the smart new 21st century workplace we have delivered for the diocese and its staff.”

The Dean of Ripon, John Dobson, who chaired the office project group, said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”

He added: “Our new base will further enhance our work for the 471 parishes, 656 churches and 247 church schools that fall within our diocese.”