On Thursday 7th April, MEPC revealed Tower Square at Wellington Place. At over an acre the public square is set to become one of the most prominent public realms in the city.
Larger than City Square, in the heart of Wellington Place, Tower Square stretches from the historic wagon hoist building to Whitehall Road and is one of the largest public places in central Leeds. Wellington Place is funded by a joint venture with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), a professional investment management organisation that invests on behalf of 19 million Canada Pension Plan contributors and beneficiaries and Hermes Investment Management, the £23 billion manager focused on delivering superior, sustainable, risk adjusted returns to its clients – responsibly.
To celebrate the opening of Tower Square and the next stage of the Wellington Place development programme, an event was held during which a hand-crafted mosaic, designed by the MEPC Wellington Place team alongside a Leeds environmental enterprise, Seagulls ReUse, was revealed. Taking months to complete, the mosaic, which representatives from across all businesses within Wellington Place helped to create, will take pride of place in the heart of the new space.
The celebration continued in the striking atrium of 6 Wellington Place, where guests were serenaded by the Wellington Place workplace choir, led by choir leader and professional musician, Nic Slack. Guests also enjoyed the incredible skills of circus pioneers Upswing, who displayed daring aerial acts through a captivating performance from the stunning five story central atrium. In the coming weeks, Tower Square will spring to life. From street food pop-ups to public art displays and community events, MEPC is dedicated to delivering a full schedule of activity for all to enjoy. The new square has been designed with the sole aim to provide enjoyment for all those who come into contact with the space, so it is sympathetically landscaped, incorporates ground floor retail, flexible seating and free WiFi.
James Dipple, Chief Executive of MEPC, said: “We’re excited to celebrate the next step of our journey with the unveiling of Tower Square and the recent success of 6 Wellington Place, which was fully let within four weeks of practical completion. The summer brings more exciting news from MEPC with 5 Wellington Place due for completion, along with a fantastic schedule of activity at Tower Square, plus the anticipated start of 3 Wellington Place, a 110,000 sq ft building in June 2016.”
Chris Taylor, Head of Private Markets at Hermes Investment Management added: “Tower Square is a fantastic new asset not just for Wellington Place and its already well-established and active community, but the whole of Leeds. This is consistent with our sustainable approach to city centre development, where we view public realm as a key factor and common theme for attracting occupiers – as can be seen at our involvement with King’s Cross, Paradise in Birmingham and NOMA in Manchester.
“As well as Tower Square, which complete with a new retail and leisure offer, new high quality office space will be available at Wellington Place. It is testament to the team at MEPC and our joint occupier-led approach that building 6 Wellington Place is opening with the office space fully let in what is one of the most demanding and competitive office markets in the UK.”
The event was attended by key stakeholders from the city as well as current and new occupiers from Wellington Place along with fund managers from CPPIB and Hermes Investment Management.
Richard Flint, Chief Executive of Sky Betting & Gaming, said: “We’re delighted to be taking two floors in 6 Wellington Place. It’s a fantastic building and it’s great for the city that Leeds has such innovative, hi-tech office space. We can’t wait to move in.”
To view photos from the event, click here.
