Approval sealed for first phase at Leeds’ Florence Square
To be developed on the former Lloyds Banking Group site on Water Lane, the office development will comprise 220,000 sq ft across two blocks.
The applicant, Southside Leeds, is a joint venture between heavyweights Shelborn Asset Management and Stamford Property Holdings.
In the report ahead of the delegated decision, officers said “this policy compliant scheme would bring forward regeneration of a large part of an allocated brownfield site in a highly sustainable location close to the heart of the city centre. It is suitable for determination under delegated powers.”
DLA Architecture has designed the scheme, with Zerum advising on planning. The professional team also includes re-form landscape architecture, Woolgar Hunter Engineers, Atelier Ten, RWDI, Nationwide CDM, Stroma Building Control, JCA, Brooks Ecological, ITP Energised, Stantec’s transport division, cost consultant Edmond Shipway, and Turley advising on heritage.
The JV is targeting BREEAM Excellent, WiredScore platinum, NABERS 5* and EPC A status.
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Block A comprises nine storeys in total, with seven storeys designated for office use. Block B comprises 11 storeys, with nine storeys dedicated to offices.
Ground floor uses are expected to include cafés, restaurants and retail units, while the offices will front a new public square. CBRE and Knight Frank are instructed as joint agents.
Shelborn and Stamford bought the four-acre site then known as Westbank, which formerly housed a call centre for the Halifax building society, in late 2021.
The development site is situated close to the Bridgewater Place complex, between the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, also sitting between the Holbeck conservation area and the city centre, and thus at the heart of the South Bank area, a priority for Leeds.
The planning permission also establishes outline consent for up to 500,000 sq ft of future development, allowing the site to evolve with market demand. Future phases could include further commercial, residential or leisure and hotel space, enabling the masterplan to respond to the city’s shifting needs over time, said the applicants.
Andrew Salt, associate director of DLA Architecture, said: “This is a future-facing workplace. From NABERS to ActiveScore, DLA has embedded ambitious sustainability goals across the board, not just as performance targets but as core design drivers. Florence Square aims to support healthier, lower-impact working environments from day one, while maintaining the flexibility to meet changing needs over time.”
Documents relating to the project, including the decision notice and the Section 106 agreement drawn up by Pinsent Masons, can be viewed on Leeds’ planning portal with the reference 22/08301/FU.
