How workers are returning to Wellington Place in Leeds as new 11 & 12 development reaches milestone

Speaking at the ceremony, Paul Pavia, commercial director at MEPC, said the firm had seen “very strong demand post-Covid” for offices at Wellington Place.

However, developers and businesses are having to put emphasis on creating an environment that looks beyond just desk space.

Mr Pavia told The Yorkshire Post: “Senior managers and businesses are keen to get people back into offices but they understand that they need to give people the best working environment.

“They’re competing with the spaces people have got at home. That’s where Wellington Place has an edge because we think about the whole experience of work rather than just providing someone with a space to put a desk.”

He added that the pandemic hasn’t so much as changed MEPC’s approach but reinforced the need for it to provide a “great experience at work”.

“I suppose it makes you more conscious about that approach and realising how important it is and to make sure that we really focus on doing it as well as we can,” Mr Pavia said.

The 11 & 12 Wellington Place development will provide 254,879 sq ft of office space, with a gym and leisure and retail space at the lower levels.

MEPC hopes to attract a broad range of businesses to the building, the property firm’s commercial director says.

Mr Pavia said: “We want a broad range of businesses, a broad range of people because that sort of variety creates a very vibrant space.

“If you have a very sector driven development at this scale - one you would struggle to fill the building and two you would become a fairly one dimensional environment with people of just one demographic. Tech business, legal businesses, financial institutions, we welcome anyone really. We’d love to have new sectors here. If anybody wants to come here, we’re happy to talk to them.”

There’s a lot of scope for further development in Leeds, Mr Pavia believes, as it has a lot of areas set for urban regeneration.

He said: “It’s probably got more larger areas or plots of land undeveloped or in need of redevelopment than many other cities. There’s lots of scope.

“It’s about Wellington Place becoming that draw for inward investment demonstrating that Leeds and Yorkshire is creating spaces, places and buildings that are as good as anywhere else in the country.”

Sustainability has been a key consideration for the development, MEPC says, with 11 & 12 Wellington Place being certified ‘outstanding’ by BREEAM.

Mr Pavia says that environmental credentials of buildings are “vital” now with everybody questioning the carbon footprint of developments.

He added: “These buildings have got a lot of steel, a lot of concrete, a lot of glass. We recognise that we have got to be producing the products that go into these buildings in a more sustainable way.

“There’s a thing called EPD (environmental performance declaration) which is a certification of a product’s carbon footprint.

“We’re focused on identifying products that have a good EPD rating and we have, for the first time, on this building and for all future buildings dedicated carbon consultants, who accurately and sincerely measure our carbon footprint.”

The development is set to be completed this winter and will hold 2,500 people at capacity.

'Latest exemplar building'

The steel signing event saw around 40 public and private sector stakeholders given a tour of the building.

Attendees signed their names on the final steel beam to be put in place at the development.

Construction firm Wates Group is delivering the scheme.

Director Andy Wates said: “Wellington Place, including 11 & 12, is built for the long-term benefit of Leeds and wider region and Wates is privileged to be continuing our strong partnership with MEPC on this latest exemplar build.”

Since the project began. Wates has pledged £105,000 to support local social enterprises to date.

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James Mitchinson