Work is now complete on the conversion of a redundant office building at High Court in Leeds into a collection of ten brand new homes for long-term rent.
The property at 4 High Court is owned by tech entrepreneur Ollie Maitland, who previously used the building as the base for his own business. After researching the market and consulting with architects and residential agents, he decided to secure planning permission for a residential conversion to keep the building as a long-term investment.
The project marks the final stage of the wider regeneration of High Court, an area that once served as the civic heart of Leeds. David Bailey of DLG Architects, who designed the scheme, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work on this conversion which occupies a prominent position in what used to be the civic heart of Leeds city centre and it’s fair to say that the rather brutal modernist facade needed a little love which has been delivered in spades by the introduction of a new frontage with floor to ceiling windows.”
The design of the building was heavily influenced by its proximity to Leeds Minster and the medieval history of the surrounding area. David Bailey added: “The proximity of Leeds Minster and the rich history of this part of the city as a medieval precursor to modern Leeds was very much on our minds as we developed the scheme, and we wanted to make sure that the finished building could hold its own.”
Zenko City Living has been appointed to let and manage the development. Tobias Duczenko of Zenko City Living said: “The transformation of this 1970s property into a stunning collection of homes marks the final stage of High Court’s wider regeneration, which has seen every surrounding building redeveloped in recent years. It’s been years since any new apartments have been delivered for rent around The Calls, and we can’t wait to launch 4 High Court.”
The construction was carried out by Claywood Construction, despite the logistical challenges of working on a constrained city centre footprint. Paul Burke, MD of Claywood Construction, said: “It is always particularly rewarding to deliver a project in our home city of Leeds. While the site presented logistical challenges given its constrained footprint and busy city centre location, the project team has delivered an excellent result that we are extremely proud of.”
The new apartments arrive at a time of high demand for private rentals in smaller, high-quality developments. Tobias Duczenko added: “Despite a surge in the number of build-to-rent apartments being delivered in the current cycle, demand for private rentals in high-quality, small-scale developments remains high, and as the number of people working in the professional sector in Leeds city centre continues to grow, we expect this to continue at pace.”
Zenko City Living will be taking enquiries for the new apartments soon from their neighbouring office at Graphical House.
