Member Article

Ex-Emmerdale and Heartbeat mill now has 48 companies on site

The Mending Rooms, the 10,000 sq ft refurbished mill in the heart of the iconic Sunny Banks Mills complex between Leeds and Bradford, is fully let – before its £500,000 refurbishment had been completed.

The atmospheric three-storey building, which was built in 1829 and features panoramic views across the Aire Valley, has been transformed into state-of-the-art offices for the 21st century.

Two new tenants, SGS Packaging Europe Ltd and Geo 2 Remediation Ltd, have moved into The Mending Rooms in Farsley. SGS Packaging Europe has taken 1,300 sq ft of office space for its SGS Leeds operation, while Geo 2 has taken 600 sq ft. All nine office suites are now occupied.

More than 250 jobs have now been created at Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, where YTV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed.

John Gaunt, joint managing director of Edwin Woodhouse, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, commented: “It is a massive achievement for us to have let all nine suites at the Mending Rooms before the £500,000 refurbishment was completed. We feel proud to have done this in a challenging market for commercial property.

“We are delighted to welcome our two brand-new new tenants to The Mending Rooms. Four other businesses, meanwhile, have moved into The Mending Rooms this year, including an IT company and a photographic studio. There are now 49 people employed at The Mending Rooms.

“We are seeing a steady flow of new tenants into Sunny Bank Mills, breathing new life into an historic complex. They are all excellent examples of successful businesses being attracted to a quality business environment and their arrival underlines the versatility and flexibility of space at Sunny Bank Mills, which is attracting an exciting breadth of occupiers,” he added. “Altogether we now have 48 companies on site, with more in the pipeline.”

There are currently a few remaining office suites available to lease, which are ready for immediate occupation, in the refurbished Sandsgate and Teazle House buildings. These range from 250 sq ft to 1,000sq ft. A further 32,000 sq ft of quality office space has been earmarked for regeneration and refurbishment in a variety of buildings, including the iconic 1912 Mill where Emmerdale and heartbeat were filmed, over the next 12 months, subject to demand.

Richard Jones, director of SGS Packaging (Leeds), commented: “We have opened a new SGS Leeds office at Sunny Bank Mills with the specific intention of servicing a local client. The space at the Mending Rooms is perfect for us as we expand.

“The location of Sunny Bank Mills, midway between Leeds and Bradford and not far from Yorkshire’s superb motorway network, is perfect for us. Our new SGS Leeds office will complement our other offices across the UK. We are delighted with our move to Farsley”.

Mark Swindells, the managing director of Geo 2 Remediation, who have relocated from Knottingley, said: “This is a tremendous move for us. The superb location means that our staff will have less far to travel to work, thereby reducing our carbon footprint, and the high standard of our office makes our working environment exceptional.

“The character of Sunny Bank Mills is also a major plus, as is the fact that there is an amazing boardroom available to hire for meetings. Thrown in the competitive rent, and the whole package in unbeatable. There is nowhere else in the area that comes close.”

“Sunny Bank itself looks very picturesque and the feel of the whole place is uplifting. I’m particularly happy to be located close to the Gallery and Tea Rooms and the Boardroom as I feel using these places with clients can enhance my business.”

John Gaunt said: “These two new lettings are a vindication of our belief in Farsley as an attractive out-of- town business location, even when faced with direct city centre competition. Our rents are in the region of £14 per sq ft, which we believe is exceptionally competitive, given the quality of our refurbished office space.”

Mike Haigh of Leeds property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, who are marketing Sunny Bank Mills with Jones Lang Lasalle, added: “This is an extraordinary success story. The Mending Rooms were actually fully let, with excellent covenants, before the refurbishment was complete, which is amazing in this challenging market for commercial property. These deals further vindicate the capital expenditure and attention to detail the inspirational regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills has created”.

John Gaunt added: “The atmospheric Boardroom is available to rent on an hourly basis for local Farsley businesses which don’t have that kind of space themselves. If anyone is interested they should contact the Estate Office on 0113 256 3239.”

Stuart Andrew, the Conservative MP for Pudsey commented: “I am very impressed to see such wonderful work being done to maintain and restore the heritage of Farsley.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .