Shulmans has represented Caddick Group on the granting of the lease for an old six-acre printworks in central Leeds that has been transformed into a creative complex.
Caddick Group, a Yorkshire-based property development and construction business, acquired the almost 150-year-old site in October 2017. It’s located just 15 minutes from the Majestic, where Channel 4 will be opening its new headquarters.
The site will host 110,000 square feet of studio space after an extensive refurbishment, including the demolition of the Petty House office building and removal of abandoned plant machinery and asbestos. New landscaping and access points have been provided, along with charging points for electric vehicles. Local contractor CBM Construction carried out the refurbishment.
Caddick Group has already secured Opera North as a tenant for a 9,000 square foot unit in the six-acre site, which it is using for storage and rehearsals.
The remaining space will be occupied by studio operator Leeds Studios, which is subletting the property from Leeds City Council after a landmark deal with Caddick Group that saw the local authority take the head lease.
Leeds Studios will now undertake internal fitouts of the six units it occupies, with the facility due to open in May 2020.
Dawn Carlisle, partner in the commercial property team at Shulmans, which represented Caddick Group on the granting of the lease, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with Caddick Group and, as two Leeds-based organisations, it has been a pleasure to have played a role in this significant cultural project, Channel 4 in Leeds, which will help to bring wider economic benefits to the region in 2020 and beyond.”
Johnny Caddick, director at Caddick Group, said: “There is huge demand for studio space across the UK and in Leeds particularly thanks to the arrival of Channel 4. The broadcaster’s move will prove a massive boost to the city’s economy and Caddick Group is proud to be part of that growth story by transforming a derelict site into a world-class film and TV complex.”
