Pullan’s bags major NHS office letting

Regional property company J Pullan & Sons has agreed terms with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for 43,731 sq ft at Joseph’s Well, the city’s largest office deal of 2024 so far.

The eight-year letting will see the space play an integral part in the trust’s plans to build a new hospital at the historic Leeds General Infirmary site, close by.

Pullan’s has agreed to letting of the office accommodation over three floors which includes, contemporary workspace areas, meeting rooms, communal kitchens and breakout areas all fully-fitted within the 150,000 sq ft heritage building.

The letting facilitates the relocation of clinical and non-clinical staff in preparation for the new-build project, which will include a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospitals, new adults’ hospital and maternity centre.

Bruce Strachan, property director at Pullan’s, said: “We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we already lease a number of our suites at the Joseph’s Well site to the Trust, including over 21,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at Park Lane.

“We understand this latest lease represents the largest office letting to be completed in Leeds this year.

“We’re delighted to be in a position to support the Trust with their exciting plans for a new hospital by providing quality, contemporary accommodation, directly adjacent to the Leeds General Infirmary.”

Mike Bacon, programme director for the New Hospitals Programme at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, said:  “Our plan for a new state-of-the-art hospital is the most exciting health infrastructure development for a generation in Leeds.

“As we prepare for construction, we’re embarking on a number of preparatory works.  This includes the temporary relocation of some clinical and non-clinical staff which will enable a further phase of demolition at Leeds General Infirmary.

“It’s critical that patient care is unaffected as we embark on further construction and infrastructure works and that we can continue to deliver services and provide spaces for staff to work from.

“By securing this accommodation, we’re ensuring that colleagues have appropriate accommodation with an easy connection to the clinical departments across the Leeds General Infirmary site as well as our wider hospitals and we can continue to deliver excellent care for our patients.”

Joseph’s Well was built in the 19th century by industrialist and clothing magnate Leeds MP Sir John Barran. Pullan’s, a long-established local firm, has undertaken extensive refurbishment at the five-storey building.

The lease agreement with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is another step towards the development of the new hospital. In May, the NHS trust announced Scarborough as its preferred developer to transform the Old Medical School into a globally recognised health-tech innovation hub.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust employs more than 20,000 people over seven hospital sites. It is one of the largest and busiest acute hospital trusts in the UK.

The Trust’s Hospitals of the Future Project is described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to design and build a new hospital on the site of LGI.

Funding for the scheme was confirmed in May 2023 by the then secretary of state for health and social care.