Leeds factory bought by workspace company

A former council-owned factory whose small-business tenants feared they might be facing eviction has been sold to a workplace specialist.

Yorkshire-based WorkWell, which has bought the 23,000 sq ft building known as Aire Street Workshops, said it wants to "allay any fears" the current occupiers may have had about the building being turned into flats.

The four-storey premises, originally built in 1875 as a cloth warehouse, is home to 50 small businesses, who likened the sale to "a slap in the face" when it was first announced by the council.

A WorkWell spokesperson said all the current occupiers "will be offered space in the much-improved workspace".

In 1981 the building was given to the city as a platform for small, independent enterprises, partly funded by the Department of Environment.

However, Leeds City Council put the workshops up for sale in early 2024 as part of council efforts to save money.

Joe Singleton, owner of Take It Easy Labs, a family-run film business which has been based at Aire Street since 2021, described the new landlord's stated intentions as "reassuring".

"It's exciting that someone is willing to take on the building and to retain it for the purpose which it was intended for," he told the BBC.

Mr Singleton said his company has expanded and will be moving to bigger premises, but the "beauty" of Aire Street is that it is a place for "little seeds to grow".

Mr Singleton, 37, said he hopes WorkWell remains true to its word and does not "vastly" increase tenants' rent.

"Because the important thing about Aire Street is that it's affordable."

Oliver Corrigan, managing director of WorkWell, said the landlord planned "to improve the working environment of the building over the coming months".

Asked about any possible rise in rent, a spokesperson for the company said: "WorkWell want it to be business as usual for everyone involved.

"They will sit down with tenants over the coming weeks to discuss the renovation plans, timelines and costs."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.