A newly refurbished building in Leeds city centre has signed a six-year lease with Freeze Debt on its 1,070 sq ft on Ambler House’s third floor. Carter Towler secured the second office tenant for building in Boar Lane, opposite Trinity Leeds. “It’s really encouraging to have found such a great tenant for Ambler House – especially at a time like this. We have all been facing new challenges and uncertainty since the onset of lockdown, but so far we’ve had an incredibly positive response to the £2 million revival of this magnificent grade II-listed building,” said Harriet Lawson of Carter Towler. “Although Freeze Debt is a relatively new company, it is already making quite a reputation for itself in the FinTech sector. The company has developed a smartphone app that helps people manage their debts more effectively and it is attracting a lot of attention. “Ambler House is the perfect location for growing companies like Freeze Debt who are looking for distinctive, high quality, centrally located offices. We have a selection of different sized suites remaining within the building ranging from 875 – 3,835 sq ft,” Harriet continued. Freeze Debt chief executive Harjit Moore also commented on the news: “It has been fantastic working with the landlord’s managing agent Petit Papillon and Carter Towler to secure these offices. We are at a very exciting stage in the growth of our business and Ambler House is the perfect base for our expanding team. It will enable us to attract the additional high calibre personnel we want to join us.” Ambler House, which forms part of the Trevelyan Square estate, is managed by Petit Papillon and Carter Towler is retained as the sole letting agent.

A £15 million investment lined up for Allerton Manor has been approved, which includes a purpose-built golf pavilion and club house comprising a golf shop, changing rooms and locker rooms, as well as an indoor practice putting area. An adventure golf course is also lined up, as is the restoration and conversion of the grade II-listed Allerton Manor, which is considered to be “seriously dilapidated and at risk”, to create a 31-bed boutique hotel, spa and function space. “I’d like to thank the professional and supportive approach we have had from the planners, and the constructive dialogue with local ward councillors,” said Green Circle property director Craig Coley. “By working together, we have been able to bring forward an exciting plan that will create a fantastic amenity for the city, whilst preserving Allerton Manor’s unique heritage and landscape.” The main aspect of the application is reconfiguring the existing nine and 18-hole courses to create a par 72 championship site with a new driving range. For this project, up to 150 jobs could be created. The plans have been developed by Liverpool Council’s operating partner, Green Circle, and will be funded entirely by private investment.

The £54 million Littlewoods Film and TV Studios project has landed one of the North West’s largest commercial deals of the year. Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has been confirmed as the education partner at the much-anticipated scheme, which is being developed by CAPITAL&CENTRIC with Liverpool City Council. The establishment will be co-located alongside Twickenham Studios and provide a direct link between academia and industry in what will be one of the most prominent facilities of its kind in the UK. “Our intention is to keep Liverpool ahead of the game, so the combination of training and talent pool are a key part of the recipe. Our renowned Screen School prepares professional film-makers, producers, digital artists, journalists and scriptwriters, and we will be working closely with our industry partners to ensure the talent pipeline supports this key sector in Liverpool’s economic future,” said vice-chancellor professor Ian Campbell. It has signed up to take more than 75,000 sq ft of space for an Entertainment Technology Centre, in conjunction with Hugh Baird College, focused on professional training for TV and film. LJMU will offer a full range of further and higher education courses, all designed to equip locals for a job in the region’s rapidly growing film and TV sector. “Getting an education partner on board has been what we’ve been waiting for and it will ensure that local people have the right skills to take advantage of the huge opportunities on offer. Clustering film and TV with education is something pretty unique and Littlewoods Studios will be the biggest facility of its kind in the UK,” added Adam Higgins, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC. A £17 million funding commitment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund was announced last month, with the project identified as a key component of the city region’s £8.8 billion Building Back Better recovery plan. “The university has a fantastic screen school and their involvement will add a unique educational element to the project. This partnership will provide invaluable career making experiences for students. It’s a great development, one which will further strengthen the city’s reputation in this key creative sector and develop a solid platform to support more productions and jobs in the future,” said Mayor Joe Anderson. The ten-acre Littlewoods Studios will be operational by 2023.

PLANNING permission has been granted for a revolutionary multi-million-pound ‘public service development’ at Western Way, Bury St Edmunds – designed to unite public services with enterprising space. The 17-acre development will provide a nationally ground-breaking way to deliver integrated public services for its communities, as part of a network of existing and planned ‘hub’ projects in West Suffolk. The development will offer a new, state-of-the-art leisure centre with an integrated health and social care hub, including large amounts of new employment space, council services, police, an advice centre, voluntary organisations, and community and education services, all located within one building, improving public access, service delivery and efficiency. As well as offering opportunities for multiple other partners to join the scheme under the auspices of the government’s One Public Estate programme, the project will repurpose a 10,000m2, 1960s depot building as part of its sustainability objectives, including significant infrastructure improvements and while further work will take place on a green travel plan with the emphasis being on reducing car travel. The plans were approved by West Suffolk Council at a committee meeting last week. A full range of services will be undertaken by built environment consultancy Pick Everard – operating under Perfect Circle’s unique collaboration, which works exclusively on Scape Group’s Built Environment Consultancy Services (BECS) framework – including architecture, building service, structural and civil engineering, quantity surveying, sustainability including BREEAM, BIM, highways engineering, interior design, and health and safety. Paul Darlow, regional lead for East Anglia at Perfect Circle, who is also regional director at Pick Everard, said: “We are really pleased to receive planning permission for the redevelopment of Western Way. This is set to be a significant project for the region and will form part of the long-term vision to create jobs and attract investment to the area.” The team has been working on the project since 2016, following their work on the original masterplan and delivery of phase one, West Suffolk House, in 2009; producing master planning options, project costs and supporting the business case, which were presented in 2019. Over this period, the team has been providing a large range of services to deliver this second phase, including architecture, building services, structural and civil engineering, quantity surveying, sustainability including BREEAM, BIM, highways engineering, interior design, landscape and health and safety. Victoria Brambini, managing director at Perfect Circle, said: “This latest step in the Western Way development has been a long time in the making, following several years of hard work alongside the council to bring this ambitious concept together and create detailed plans for the public service development.” Councillor John Griffiths, leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “We are pleased that another important step has been taken along the way to deliver another ground-breaking initiative in West Suffolk. Not only will people be able to access health, leisure, education and public services on one site, but it shows that working together across the public sector in new ways can bring greater benefits to health and wellbeing. We are now looking forward to working with our partners to consider the next stages of delivering this long-term and exciting project, which if anything, recent events have shown is even more needed than ever”. Councillor Jo Rayner, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and community hubs, said: “Western Way is part of the way public sector partners in Suffolk are working across traditional boundaries to improve outcomes for our communities. Mildenhall Hub is another such project nearing completion which brings services together in one place so people can benefit from a more holistic approach to their needs, such as having complementary facilities and expert advice, such as health and leisure, together in one place.” Perfect Circle, comprising Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM, was appointed for the scheme via Scape Group’s National Built Environment Consultancy Services (BECS) framework, which provides the broadest range of consultancy services available to be public sector. For more information about Perfect Circle, visit www.perfectcircle.co.uk.

Plans for a major mixed-use development, including approximately 1,200 homes, are being proposed for the former Gould Street Gasworks site north of Manchester city centre. Gasworks New Town would comprise the news homes as well as commercial units, a new park located off Gould Street, and pedestrian and cycling routes. A 33-storey tower is also lined up. The company behind the proposals is Southvalley Estates, part of MCR Property Group. Southvalley Estates has owned the land – which has been operating as a surface car park in recent years – since 2015. “Our vision for this site has been a labour of love over the past few years. Our ambitious proposals for The Gasworks New Town realise the development potential of a key city centre location and the aspirations for the Northern Gateway,” said Nick Lake, asset manager at MCR Property Group. “We have worked in close collaboration with Manchester City Council to bring forward a major transformative development that will create a new beating heart of a community in close proximity to the city centre. We look forward to finalising the formal planning application in line with public feedback.” Manchester City Council had earmarked the site for a residential-led development, designed to be a “flagship element” of its Northern Gateway Strategic Regeneration Framework. Working with WSP, Southvalley is now seeking feedback from communities, workers and stakeholders on the draft proposals before a planning application is submitted later in the year. The plans have been prepared by AHR, with landscape and public realm designed by Planit.

Revised plans have been submitted for a mixed-use development in York featuring a new Roman visitor attraction. The proposed Roman Quarter development is a partnership between North Star and York Archaeological Trust, and is set to bring a news Roman visitor attraction to the city. It aims to regenerate and revitalise Rougier Street, as well as provide a major two-year archaeological dig on the site. Three properties on Rougier Street – Northern House, Rougier House and Society Bar – would be replaced with a new building incorporate cutting edge sustainable technology and features. The scheme will include apartments, retail units, office space, leisure space, alongside the visitor attraction. “We want to deliver this exciting project as quickly as possible which is why we have amended the plans. In the post-Covid uncertain economic times, we feel that this project will be a major boost to York city centre and help with York’s economic recovery,” said a spokesperson for North Star. “It will raise the city’s profile, create a fantastic new educational and cultural attraction and will show the city moving forward. We’ve taken on board comments about the height of the development and have now lowered the proposals to make this building the lowest of the four large buildings in the immediate vicinity. We strongly believe that this addresses the main issue that was raised.” Following feedback from the council, stakeholders and other consultees, amended plans have been lodged with City of York Council to address issues raised. The height of the development has been reduced to make it lower than the adjacent Aviva Offices, Yorkshire House (soon to be the Malmaison hotel) and The Grand Hotel. Changes have been made to the design, with more stone and less glass, to complement the two taller existing buildings either side of the new development. The overall massing and width of the building has also been decreased and the mix of the apartments has been altered to provide larger, family-style. The total number of units has been reduced from 290 to 250. It has been estimated that the development would create more then 450 jobs and inject an extra £250m into the region’s economy over the next 30 years, as well as adding to York’s cultural offer. “We have had a superb response to the concept of the Roman visitor attraction, and indeed, enormous excitement about the potential of the archaeology that we will be uncovering during the dig if the plans are approved,” commented David Jennings, chief executive of York Archaeological Trust. “We know that this site has had many uses over the last 2,000 years, and we are very pleased to be partnering with an organisation that sees the building as an integral part of the city’s future – helping to regenerate this area, a fascinating and important place in the city at various points in history, with a building that fits into the urban landscape of Rougier Street and Tanner’s Moat.”