Evans Property Group’s £25m Investment Transforms City Quarter
Evans Property Group has achieved a host of lettings to both new and existing occupiers at its flagship Minerva and Capitol office buildings in Leeds City Centre following refurbishment works forming part of a multi-million pound investment programme into the Bond Court area of the city.
Since unveiling the refurbishment of the 30,568 sq ft of Grade A, BREEAM Excellent offices at Minerva last summer, high profile occupiers property firm BNP Paribas, global financial services company, UBS and law firm Gateley have all joined the tenant line-up. Existing occupier CDI AndersElite has also expanded into a larger suite to facilitate the firm’s expansion plans.
The deals mean that the remaining offices, which represent the highest quality, ready-to-occupy Grade A space within Leeds City Centre, are in supremely high demand.
Minerva occupies a strategic location in the heart of Leeds City Centre backing on to Bond Court which connects the traditional business district with the new retail core of the city. The nine month internal and external refurbishment programme at Minerva has resulted in a contemporary new façade, 6 floors of Grade A office accommodation with flexible floor-plates and a striking reception area designed by award-winning interior designer Katharine Pooley, whose previous projects include the stylish interiors for the Royal and VIP Lounges at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Occupiers are taking advantage of the unique offer of Grade A quality and prime address, resulting in the rapid lettings by office agents CBRE and JLL.
Evans’ adjacent office building, Capitol, also underwent a comprehensive refurbishment to create a new double height enlarged feature reception, external improvements to the windows and elevation and 20,000 sq ft of high quality office accommodation. As a result, the building is experiencing high occupancy levels. The UK’s leading car information experts, CAP Automotive Ltd, have expanded their Headquarter operations within the building and planning practice, Quod North, has relocated its Leeds office into Capitol, where Insurance company Lifesearch is also in occupation.
The Evans Property Group is a long established private property investor and developer, with a property portfolio consisting of Grade A investment properties with secure long leases together with a substantial development land bank. Evans is a major investor in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region and its transformations of Minerva and Capitol have created over 50,000 sq ft of much-needed Grade A office accommodation.
The investment into the offices forms part of Evans’ ongoing £25m programme of works transforming the whole Bond Court area of Leeds City Centre. GMI Construction is presently on-site with Evans’ new 95 bed 5* hotel and extensive Bond Court public realm works are also in the pipeline.
Alan Syers, Portfolio Director at Evans Property Group, said: “We were confident that the time was right to deliver this new Grade A space as supply is so severely limited in core locations within the city.
“We are delighted to have attracted and retained such high-profile occupiers and also with how quickly the space has been snapped up. The current status of supply and demand means that the interest in both Minerva and Capitol is strong and we are looking forward to achieving full occupation of both buildings and completing our broader regeneration of this integral part of Leeds City Centre.”
