Leeds’s new 24-acre mixed-use district, Aire Park, will welcome multidisciplinary built environment consultancy, Ridge and Partners to 1 South Brook Street.
Following continued growth at the firm, which employs 65 people in Leeds, it will relocate from Brewery Wharf to take 6,930 sq ft across the seventh floor within Aire Park’s first phase of commercial development, overlooking a new eight-acre public park.
Ridge and Partners’ specialisms include project management, sustainability, mechanical and electrical, and structural and civil engineering.
It is the latest company to move to Aire Park. Engineering firm Jacobs and rail operator Northern have recently taken space in neighbouring 3 South Brook Street, while Eversheds Sutherland has been confirmed for the development’s Kellstone building.
Other arrivals include legal firm Devonshires, pensions provider TPT and investing platform interactive investor.
Leyla Ongun, commercial leasing manager at Vastint UK, which is regenerating the former Tetley brewery site, said: “Ridge and Partners is a wonderful addition to South Brook Street and we look forward to welcoming them.
“As a development, we’re passionate about creating a diverse community that shares our vision for bringing business back to this historic epicentre of employment.
“Once complete, Aire Park will feature over 800,000 sq ft of Grade-A offices, creating space for over 10,000 workers, all of which will sit alongside an eight-acre public park.
“Complete with front row seats to the park, we’re establishing a really unique workplace offering which is more than just desk space and meeting rooms, and the calibre of businesses already calling Aire Park home really proves this.
“We continue to see high interest in our space and with our next building, the Kellstone, approaching completion we’re excited to work with more businesses whether they’re indigenous to the city and looking to grow or planning to bring their brand to one of the UK’s most exciting destinations.”
Andrew McNaghten, head of office at Ridge and Partners in Leeds, added: “It’s a pivotal time for us and we’re thrilled that we’re continuing to deliver growth in Leeds through offering our clients unrivalled expertise across a range of service areas.
“The positive challenge this growth provides is the need to find a new home for the business in the city centre, having watched the creation of Aire Park from our office windows over the last few years, it was clear that it offered not only the type of space we were looking for but also the chance to be part of an exciting community which Vastint UK is growing.”
Once finished, Aire Park will span 24 acres of Leeds’s South Bank, featuring at least one million sq ft of commercial space and more than 1,350 homes.
For the Ridge and Partners deal, Savills worked on behalf of Vastint UK, while Sanderson Weatherall acted for Ridge and Partners.
Toby Nield, director at Savills Leeds, said: “Ridge will be a fantastic addition to the tenant line up, it was great to work with them to accommodate their growth aspirations and kick start the leasing of 1 South Brook Street.
“While many developers face challenges around rising build costs and a tighter funding environment, Vastint’s ambitious move to speculatively bring Grade-A office space to the heart of Leeds is yielding fantastic results.”
