Zenith signs deal to bring 300 jobs to Leeds Kirkstall Forge

Zenith is expected to transfer more than 300 staff from its current base in Calverley to a new, purpose-built building at Kirkstall Forge towards the end of next year.

It’s the first major company to sign a pre-let deal to establish a base at Kirkstall Forge, which will be served by a railway station from next month.

The £400m scheme promises to deliver 1,050 homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space at Kirkstall Forge, which is one of the oldest industrial sites in Europe. The vast site has been empty for around 14 years.

The developer behind the scheme, CEG, has also announced that it will move its northern office from Harrogate to Kirkstall Forge. CEG plans to turn the 57 acre site into a thriving mixed-use community in a wooded, riverside setting.

These two pre-let deals have been signed as the principle contractor Wates starts work on the first phase; an 110,000 sq ft, seven-storey Grade A office building, which will be ready for occupation in the third quarter of 2017.

The building received planning approval from Leeds City Council last year.

Zenith will take more than 45,000 sq ft over the three upper floors, including a roof level meeting room suite.

Tim Buchan, the chief executive of Zenith said: “The forge is another milestone in Zenith’s history and its location presents an opportunity to draw on the highly talented resources from within the North of England and establish a best-in-class headquarters for our future growth.”

Coun Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Together with the new rail station due to open shortly, Kirkstall Forge will deliver significant benefits with more than a 1,000 new homes, more than 2,000 jobs, training opportunities and apprenticeships, as well as new retail, leisure and community facilities.”