2019 is going to be an exciting year for the property industry, with many notable new developments planned across the UK. We’re all about creating successful places, from office buildings right through to new cultural hubs or shopping destinations. With offices in Leeds, Manchester and London we have our fingers on the pulse across the UK (and overseas) when it comes to the places to keep an eye out for this year.
Leeds
Leeds’ new Cultural Quarter
SOYO Leeds is an exciting new area of regeneration in the city, and we’re proud to be working with SOYO to raise awareness of the exciting new scheme. 2019 will see on site development of the new Moda residential housing beginning, that will revolutionise the city’s rental offering.
Other developments in the area include Leeds Playhouse, which is set to open its refurbished doors at the end of 2019. It’s the first revamp since the Playhouse opened in 1990, costing an impressive £15.8million. The new development will include a new 100-seat theatre so the Creative Engagement programme has extra space to showcase new work and community events. Though we’ve all been impressed with 2018’s pop-up theatre, it will be great to see the Playhouse back operating at full speed again.
New homes for the homeless
The Regent Terrace development as part of St George’s Crypt’s new Independent Living scheme is due for completion in the summer of 2019.
We were delighted to join forces with the Leeds-based homeless charity for our 2018 Christmas campaign, Christmas Seen, which helped raise over £1,000 for the charity. Our informative booklet and social media campaign provided key information about the scheme, which is a bespoke housing development that aims to help those without a home recover and regain independence.
Funded by Leeds City Council, Regent Terrace will be a block of 14 independent studio flats in Hyde Park, Leeds, that will provide care and support for those with an alcohol dependency problem. It will be a great help to members of the Leeds community, and we look forward to further supporting St George’s Crypt throughout the year.
News from Wellington Place
In Spring this year, Walker Morris will move into 33 Wellington Street. The law firm will join a host of influential companies choosing the Wellington Place area as their local home.
The Government’s New Regional Yorkshire Hub is also coming to the area in 2019, the biggest ever commercial property letting in Leeds history.
Wellington Place will become a new home for HM Revenue and Customs and NHS Direct – with two state-of-the-art custom-designed buildings at 7 and 8 Wellington Place currently being built.
The new letting proves Leeds is a big player on national terms, as HMRC are bringing 6,000 civil service jobs to Leeds. This is great news for Leeds’ reputation and economy.
We’re proud to list Wellington Place as one of our great clients and look forward to working with the business district in 2019 – watch this space.
Emerald Headingley Stadium
Unsurprisingly, the £40 million renovation is the largest redevelopment project in the Stadium’s history. The 90-year-old shared stand between the cricket and rugby stadiums will be removed and replaced by a new stand with over 4,000 seats for cricket on one side. The other side will provide an additional 3,800 seats for rugby – plus the new South Stand will make room for a further 7,700 people.
The Emerald Headingley Stadium has already been chosen as a venue for the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2021 Rugby League World Cup – and the redevelopment will ensure spectators have an enhanced sporting experience.
Leeds City College is growing
In June 2019, a new Leeds City College campus is opening its doors. The £57 million 11-storey development has been designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for students.
The new campus will focus on offering courses such as Digital and Creative Arts, with the high-tech hub including specialist digital technology labs and a new arts performance centre. The campus will be placed right alongside the new Leeds Playhouse development, establishing the area as a real creative and digital hive of activity in the city. We expect to see even more talent emerging from Yorkshire in the coming years.
Channel 4’s new home
The broadcaster’s new flagship headquarters will be coming to Leeds very soon. But where will they go?
The new South Bank regeneration could certainly squeeze in room for the new HQ, though more established areas of Leeds such as Wellington Place or the exciting Kirkstall Forge area could provide a great home for the broadcaster. Only time will tell, but we expect rumours and whisperings will continue throughout the year.
Manchester
Making Mayfield
U+I’s Mayfield has already been causing a stir – and the first parts of the five-phase project are beginning to whir into action.
Development of four residential towers, plus the new Mayfield Park, is planned to start in 2019. With a proposed 6.5 acres of public space, the new development will create a connected neighbourhood.
We’re also looking forward to seeing how Mayfield Depot develops this year. The mixed-use development will feature commercial and office buildings; though it’s also expected the arches could be used for retail and leisure too. The rise of mixed-use spaces is particularly interesting as it shows the need for a truly connected community with convenience the major priority.
Mayfield has already created a stir in Manchester with its strategic meanwhile placemaking such as street food stalls. It’s a prime example of successfully putting a place on the map before development has even properly begun.
NOMA neighbourhood expands
The Meadow Side development is bringing a new kind of city living to Manchester in 2019. The 40-storey skyscraper will include 750 apartments, becoming a key part of the city centre’s expanding NOMA neighbourhood.
It is rumoured to be one of the tallest buildings in the city, though it will by no means form part of a concrete jungle as it’s designed to border the existing Angel Meadow park. The Meadow Side development will also provide upgrades to the park and surrounding streets so residents will have great access to the biggest green space in Manchester’s centre.
It will provide a more serene way of living for people wanting access to nature but without venturing too far away from the centre of the action.
Also on the horizon in the NOMA district is Caddick Construction’s £145m Angel Gardens development, one of the UK’s largest build to rent projects. The development will provide over 450 luxury apartments – offering an exceptionally high standard of rental accommodation. With a gym, cinema and restaurants all planned in to make life at Angel Gardens an unforgettable experience.
Skyscraper Alley continues to grow
Deansgate Square, a collection of tower blocks, will provide 1,500 new apartments in the city centre. The new development is just part of a whole host of tower blocks springing up around the area.
Unfortunately it won’t hold the title of ‘tallest building outside London’ for long, as the 213m Trinity Islands is hot on its heels to be completed by 2022.
London
Paddington Square is transformed
Sellar Property Group are bringing Paddington Cube office and retail space to London. The £825m project will provide a “floating” glass office and retail space around the busy tube station, replacing the former Royal Mail sorting office. If the CGIs are anything to go by, this will soon be a recognisable piece of the capital’s modern architecture.
The development will also include a new public square and a £65m rebuild of the Bakerloo line tube station.
Embassy Gardens
Now in its final phase of construction, we look forward to seeing the launch of the new Embassy Gardens in 2019. The development includes a residential offering, retail and dining space as well as hosting the US Embassy.
Its most defining feature is the world’s first “floating” swimming pool. The Sky Pool will be installed between the two buildings, providing an entirely unique place for residents to relax and overlook the busy streets below.
Twentytwo in 2019
Welcome to London’s new “vertical village” – a 26-storey development that is set for completion in 2019. It’s much more than an office space, with a key focus on wellness and providing a fantastic working lifestyle that may well be the envy of anyone working elsewhere in the city.
The office tower will incorporate the city’s first ‘climbing window’, which is exactly as described – a window that can also be used as a climbing wall.
Other features also include an art walk and free public viewing platform. Think innovation hubs, business clubs and bike parks – basically, think big. This development is going to be a game changer.
Foster + Partners mix things up
Foster + Partners have brought us many iconic projects, including the Gherkin building. Now their upcoming projects 250 City Road and Principal Place are set to transform the skyline even further.
Principal Place is already home to tech giant Amazon, but its residential skyscraper will transform the complex into a fully mixed-use development. With Principal Tower due for completion later in the year, we look forward to seeing who’ll be moving in!
The UK is developing…
New developments are cropping up all the time, and the team here at DS.Emotion are working hard to make sure the places we work with launch successfully and continue to stay ahead of the curve. To find out about our latest projects, give us a follow on Instagram or Twitter.