Channel 4 in Leeds: Where could the broadcaster's new HQ be?

After the announcement that Channel Four will relocate to Leeds, we've looked at potential sites where the company could choose to set up its new offices.
Four of the potential Leeds sitesFour of the potential Leeds sites
Four of the potential Leeds sites

It's not clear whether Channel Four will commission their own landmark building or rent existing office space. Leeds beat off competition from Manchester and Birmingham to win the bid after the publicly-owned broadcaster was told to set up a new base outside London.

Around 300 jobs are expected to be moved from the capital to Leeds.

South Bank

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The undeveloped areas of Holbeck near Globe Road, behind Leeds Station, are the subject of a huge regeneration scheme. A masterplan was rubber-stamped by Leeds City Council earlier this year, and proposes a 'mixed use neighbourhood' with public spaces, a new city park and public transport links with the waterfront at its heart and the historic Temple Works flax mill as a focal point.

The £350million plans are for up to 750 homes, skyscraper office towers between five and 40 storeys high, leisure and retail plots, and space for an estimated 10,000 people to live, work and visit. Holbeck is already gentrifying and in recent years has become a hub for creative and tech businesses. It's close to the city centre and the station.

Quarry Hill - SoYo

Another huge scheme - this one's worth £300million - which will create an entirely new neighbourhood of residential, office and leisure developments. The site near Quarry Hill has been given the catchy name 'SoYo' - 'South of York Road'.

It is the first major development on the site since the Quarry Hill flats were demolished in the 1970s. Work will be delivered over six phases, and plans include 515 hotel-style apartments, a boutique spa hotel, public spaces and a link to Victoria Gate. Outline planning permission has been granted for the first phase, which should take three years to complete. The remaining phases include office space and student accommodation. Work is expected to start by the end of 2018.

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The area is close to the city's cultural institutions - the BBC offices and the West Yorkshire Playhouse are nearby, and a link could be forged with Leeds City College.

The former Majestic nightclub

Former Leeds nightclub Majestic on City Square is currently being redeveloped as office space after being empty since a fire damaged the building in 2014. The Grade II-listed facade will conceal seven floors and a three-storey atrium entrance. There will be terraces overlooking the square. The 1920s landmark building has had spells as a cinema, bingo hall and club.

It would likely be ready in time for Channel Four to move in, and is much larger than it appears when passing by. It's only metres from Leeds Station and a real focal point for the city's gateway.

Kirkstall Forge

Another major development in Leeds on a former mill site between Kirkstall and Horsforth. Over 100 apartments have been joined by new offices - there will eventually be 300,000 sq.ft of commercial space - shops, bars and cafes. The long-term plan is for a primary school and playpark to complete the urban village. The first office tenants moved in last autumn.

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One of the huge draws of this site is Kirkstall Forge Station - a brand-new rail link to Leeds, with trains taking just six minutes to arrive in the city centre. More peak-time train stops were added to the station in 2017 in response to increased demand from residents.

Wellington Place

This huge office development is located on Whitehall Road, on the long corridor between Leeds Station and Holbeck which has expanded massively in recent years. It's already home to extensive modern offices, and the car parks are going to become the latest phase - accommodation for a new regional government hub which will be home to HMRC staff. They'll be occupied by 2020, but the developers claim there's space on the 20-acre site for possibly six more buildings. Amenities including bars, cafes, shops and a gym have now opened on the development - which is centred around a historic railway lifting tower left over belonging to a long-demolished Victorian station.

Wellington Place has a 'London' feel - there is plenty of outdoor space and initiatives such as workplace wellbeing schemes. Street food stalls are invited to trade in summer and they've even had live music before. It's a short walk to the station and although parking is limited, there's plenty of bike storage.