Scope commits to Leeds move
The disability equality charity has signed for 4,500 sq ft at Rushbond’s 3 Brewery Wharf, the news following InfoTrack’s opening of a 5,600 sq ft base at neighbouring 7 Brewery Place.
Scope’s new service hub will be the charity’s largest base outside of London. The hub will be home to more than 70 staff working across a range of services including community, family and employment teams as well as helpline support staff, and it also will feature a café and shop.
Fit-out will begin in September ahead of the hub launching in early 2024. The space will be fully accessible, with wide aisles and adjustable desks for wheelchair users, as well as braille signs and specialist lighting for those with visual impairments.
Ruth Blazye, executive director of retail and communities, said: “One in four of us are disabled and are not treated equally in society. Together, as communities, we can change that. Scope’s Leeds Community Hub will be a centre for a range of the charity’s services, retail products and our community engagement work.
“The hub will also provide a space to showcase the great work, designed exclusively for Scope, by our hugely talented disabled artists and makers. The new, accessible hub will be pivotal in deepening our connections with the Leeds communities, our local Yorkshire Scope shops and will offer a community space for all.”
Rushbond has invested in public realm. Credit: via AMA
In June, legal technology provider InfoTrack opened a new 5,582 sq ft office at 7 Brewery Place, providing space for more than 70 staff in what is the first permanent Northern base for the company.
Channel 4 News also began broadcasting from a new ITN studio at Brewery Wharf in May – making history as the first prime time news programme to co-present from two locations, in Leeds and London.
The new studio adds to Channel 4’s growing presence in the city which already is home to its northern headquarters at the Majestic building in the city centre, also owned and redeveloped by Rushbond, which accommodates more than 200 staff.
Richard Baker, senior development surveyor at Rushbond, said: “We made a concerted effort to develop Brewery Wharf in ways that would attract more creative and new media tenants, investing heavily in the public realm and refurbishing existing spaces. By opening up the public realm, we have created an accessible location that is ideal for Scope and we look forward to welcoming the charity and working with them to bring to life their ambitious plans for their new hub.
“It’s fantastic to see nationally significant companies like Channel 4 and InfoTrack choosing Brewery Wharf as the location for their northern head office.
“This place spearheaded the renaissance of Leeds’s waterfront and the South Bank, and we now have only a handful of workspaces remaining for anyone who wants to be a part of this distinctive and beautiful waterside location.”
