The spectacular transformation of 34 Boar Lane in the centre of Leeds into a creative office, leisure and retail space will be completed this month.
Owners Kinrise are now set to announce a raft of new lettings following the £6.5m renovation of this iconic building.
The prestigious development, which comprises the next new Grade A office space to come on to the Leeds market this year, is ready for immediate occupation.
Kinrise have fulfilled ambitious plans to create one of the most dynamic mixed-use destinations in Leeds. The 57,000 sq ft building, with 46,000 sq ft of office space over five floors, is located immediately opposite the railway station in the heart of the city’s professional and retail quarters.
34 Boar Lane is unique as a workspace as it provides single desks for entrepreneurs, studios for small teams and full floors for large global companies, all under one roof with a programme of cultural events and even free electric bicycles for tenants to get around the city.
The first major letting of the year at 34 Boar Lane is to Mowgli, which specialises in Street Food. The restaurant is scheduled to open in March.
Mowgli are taking 3,000 sq ft of prime retail space on the ground floor of the building. This popular restaurant chain, based in Sheffield, was founded by Nisha Katon MBE.
Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency at global property consultancy Knight Frank in Leeds, who are marketing 34 Boar Lane, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Mowgli to 34 Boar Lane. This letting, to a highly-respected and original restaurant chain, underlines what we are trying to achieve here.
“We are choosing our occupiers very carefully. The spirit and ethos of 34 Boar Lane is crucial. For example, we could have let the restaurant units to famous high street operators, but we want to create a strong, independent and ground-breaking culture here.
“We worked with Kinrise for over three years to find the correct property in Leeds to buy and now our ambitious vision has become a reality. We have transformed this well-positioned building into an exciting workplace at the forefront of the Leeds market. “We are ready to announce two significant office lettings at 34 Boar Lane in the very near future, so please watch this space,” he added.
Nisha Katona added: “I’m so excited to announce Mowgli Leeds is moving into a beautiful glass-fronted building on a busy and very ‘Mowgli’ street. Leeds is a city I have hankered after for the last four years. I had to find exactly the right place and exactly the right building and it took this long.”
George Haddo, co-founder of Kinrise, explained: “Our new flagship project in Boar Lane has been regenerated into an inspiring collaborative environment that offers our occupiers characterful, design-led office and co-working space with top technology as well an exciting range of independent restaurants, shops and events space.”
Kinrise’s co-founder Samuel Lawson Johnston added: “Our aim is to turn iconic but un-loved buildings into creative work and community space. It means that the city’s heritage and soul lives on for the future and real cultural capital remains in the centre rather than being pushed further out of cities. Our tenant-leasing structure enables us to welcome entrepreneurs for just a month in co-working through to 25 years for established businesses. This is a unique approach.”
Eamon Fox commented: “This project is a game changer and the radical redevelopment of 34 Boar Lane is another excellent example of the strength and buoyancy of the Leeds office and investment market.”
