Stalled Yorkshire Post Site Revived With Offices Plan

New developer Prescient has switched consented student towers for two office blocks in a bid to finally unlock one of the city’s most prominent vacant sites

One of Leeds’s most prominent stalled sites could finally be brought back to life, after a new developer submitted fresh plans to build offices there. Prescient Capital has applied to redevelop the northern part of the former Yorkshire Post site on Wellington Street, swapping previously approved student towers for two office buildings of 15 and 17 storeys. The gateway plot has stood largely empty since the landmark newspaper headquarters was demolished in 2014, and repeated schemes have failed to get off the ground. The switch to offices is an attempt to make the long-delayed regeneration viable at last.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Bringing this prominent plot back into use would remove a long-standing gap in the cityscape and add new workspace at a time when demand for quality offices is strong. The change of plan is telling: that offices now stack up where student flats did not says something about where the Leeds market is heading. If it proceeds, the scheme means construction jobs, new commercial space and momentum for the Wellington Place quarter.

What Is Now Planned for the Yorkshire Post Site

The new application, drawn up by DLA Architecture, covers the northern plots and proposes two office blocks of 15 and 17 storeys providing nearly 49,000 sq m of workspace – roughly 527,000 sq ft. It is a marked shift from the scheme approved in 2023, which would have delivered more than 1,700 student beds in towers of 42 and 32 storeys, plus 348 build-to-rent homes in a 25-storey block. As well as changing the use, the new plans significantly reduce the height of the buildings. DLA said the rethink followed further market testing, discussions with landowners and prospective developers, and fresh viability testing around whether the scheme could actually be delivered. Prescient will also work with Leeds City Council on how the surviving Yorkshire Post clock tower, a remnant of the old headquarters, can be reimagined within the development.

“The strategy for the site changed following further market testing, discussions with both landowners and prospective developers, and further viability testing around scheme deliverability.”

— DLA Architecture

A Decade of False Starts

The site has a long and frustrating history. The Brutalist former home of the Yorkshire Post designed by John Madin, was demolished in 2014 to make way for an office-led masterplan by Sheppard Robson, first consented in 2015. Only one phase was ever built, The Headline, an 18-storey apartment block. The student and build-to-rent rework that followed won approval in 2023 but never progressed. The latest application is effectively the third attempt to develop the plot in a decade. The pivot back to offices chimes with a Leeds market where demand is focused firmly on quality workspace, which has pushed city-centre rents to record levels and drawn commitments from the likes of the Bank of England. The application covers only the northern section; a separate developer is expected to bring forward plans for the southern riverside plots. For now, a fresh push to unlock the Yorkshire Post site is welcome news for a stubbornly empty corner of the city.