KPMG to rent office space in Leeds city centre
KPMG will kick start confidence in Leeds office rental market. The Global accountancy practice is to let 60,000 sq ft of Leeds office space on Sovereign Street.
Sovereign Street Leeds, LS1
Muse and Sovereign Leeds Ltd have secured KPMG as the anchor tenant for the first of three new buildings proposed for the Queen’s Hall site on Sovereign Street.
The business consultancy has signed pre-let for -what will be- the first new office scheme to be built in the Yorkshire business centre since 2006.
The Sovereign Street plot is Located to the south of Leeds railway station and has remained undeveloped since the demolition of Queen’s Hall in 1989. Currently functioning as a surface car park, Leeds City Council has agreed to lease the land to help to regenerate this waterfront section of the city.
In the past, the site has been subject to ambitious plans for an Ian Simpson-designed scheme called the ‘Kissing Towers’. The project stalled as market conditions weakened due to the financial crisis.
However, with a blue chip tenant like KPMG on board, the current developers have appointed Scott Brownrigg architects to submit planning drawings in August.
Subject to planning consent, construction work on the 60,000 sq ft Leeds office building can begin next summer.
The proposed project schedule will enable the KPMG accountants to relocate from its Neville Street office rental to the new Grade-A office space in LS1, by early 2015.