Work to upgrade and refurbish Bond Court in Leeds City Centre has now been completed.

The project funded jointly by Leeds City Council and property developers Midland House Ltd has seen the area being repaved in granite, six new trees planted and new seating has now been provided. The petanque pitch has been retained and chess boards have been incorporated into the new seating area.

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All media are invited to a photo opportunity at 8.30am on Friday 25^th October at Bond Court to see the completed scheme. Cllr Richard Lewis and Jason Stowe of Wilton Developments will be available for interviews and pictures.

****MEDIA  OPPORTUNITY*****

It is hoped that the work is the first step of a wider refurbishment of Bond Court, which may involve an extension of the high quality granite paving throughout the whole square, to complement proposed redevelopments of nearby buildings.

The work is part of Leeds City Council’s continued drive to ensure the city centre is an attractive destination for visitors and businesses. Work has also been completed on the busy Dortmund Square on The Headrow.

Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council executive board member for development and the economy said:

“This scheme is a good example of how to achieve improvements to the city centre in a testing economic climate through working with the private sector to bring about refurbishments.

“By using really high quality materials in this scheme, we have set the standard for the next phase of the refurbishment of the area.

“Bond Court has the potential to be a real asset for the city centre’s business district and a genuine high quality destination for businesses”

Jason Stowe, managing director of Leeds based Wilton Developments said:

“Bond Court is a very important square for the city, being only one of a few office plaza’s in Leeds where the buildings are not separated from the public space of the square by traffic.

“The Square has so much more to offer its occupants and people using the Square, which we feel with a little investment can be realised. It is our intention to encourage other owners and occupiers to embrace the Square rather than backing on to it. As a forward thinking investor, Midland House see the advantage of investing private monies in to publicly owned space for the benefit of all.”

Photo – Groundwork

The Leeds office of DTZ, part of UGL Services, a division of UGL Limited (ASX: UGL), has successfully completed a letting at Wilton Developments’ 2 Bond Court office scheme to Directorbank, the leading provider of executive, non-executive and interim directors to the private equity industry.

The company has taken 1,480 sq ft of space on the first floor of the building on a five year lease. DTZ acted on behalf of Wilton Developments, whilst Edward Symmons represented Directorbank.

Wilton Developments purchased the property, formerly known as Midland House, in September 2010 and recently completed a major refurbishment and modernisation programme to deliver 15,250 sq ft of Grade A office space, with individual suites available from 1,000 sq ft.

<>The refurbishment works included, a new modern reception with video phone entry system, a 13 person lift, comfort cooling, gym quality changing rooms, stores and bicycle rack at basement level and contemporary designed toilets.

Eamon Fox, Associate Director at DTZ in Leeds, commented: “2 Bond Court is a great example of how a substantial refurbishment has helped to breathe new life into a building and attract high profile occupiers seeking centrally located, quality accommodation. The scheme is now well placed to meet demand for Grade A accommodation in Leeds city centre, in particular demand from smaller occupiers who are seeking an alternative to expensive serviced accommodation.”

Ken Brotherston, Executive Chairmanat Directorbank Group, said of the move: “2 Bond Court immediately caught our attention due to its prime location in Leeds’ central business district, the availability of high quality accommodation and access to our client base.”

Richard Corby of Edward Symmons added: “2 Bond Court has quickly established itself as a prestigious business location, attracting high calibre occupiers. Following an exhaustive search of premises within the city centre, the scheme came out as the clear choice for Directorbank.”

The latest letting to Directorbank follows a flurry of recent deals at the scheme, including insurance firm, Liberty Mutual, whilst Costa Coffee has also taken occupation of the ground floor of the building.