Vitality opens Yorkshire office in former Emmerdale mill

The Sunny Bank Mills complex in Farsley, near Leeds, which once featured in ITV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat, has welcomed its newest tenant.

Vitality Consulting, part of the health and life insurance giant Vitality, has chosen to base its Yorkshire and North East office at the complex, taking 1,100 sq ft of prime business space.

After receiving a £4m investment, the historic complex, including the iconic 1912 mill, has now been transformed a 21st century business centre.

The multi-million pound remodelling and regeneration of the the 10-acre development, which includes 210,000 sq ft of mixed-use development, has created space for 600 sustainable jobs and currently houses a total for 61 companies.

William Gaunt, joint managing director of Edwin Woodhouse Ltd, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, said: “We are delighted to welcome such a well-known name and high-quality business to the community at Sunny Bank Mills. We believe the pedigree of business we attract is a testament to the quality of our £2 million refurbishment at the 1912 Mill.

“The 1912 Mill is one of the jewels in our crown. It is a striking building, which has been extensively modernised to provide an attractive combination of historic features and contemporary facilities. Other occupiers include Prestige Graphics and Powerhouse Digital Photography, but we still have 16,000 sq ft of prime office space to lease.

Mr Gaunt added: “We are very proud to have achieved this significant letting and are looking forward to building on this success.”

Harvey Briggs, franchise director for Vitality Consulting Yorkshire and North East, commented: “These are the perfect premises for us. They are statement offices, with superb facilities in a fantastic location. The excellent landlords William and John Gaunt have allowed us to configure our own office space, which means it is perfect for our needs.

“This is the first office that Vitality Consulting has opened in Yorkshire and the North East and we are very proud that we are bucking the trend in the health and life insurance world, where most of our rivals are centralising their operations. We prefer to do our business face-to-face.

“We have 15 staff at Sunny Bank Mills in total, many of whom live close by. This was another key reason for our decision to open our new office here, along with the excellent parking facilities on site. We couldn’t be happier,” he added. “The office will allow us to expand further and also offer financial advisers a local base for training and development.”

Mike Dove, of Leeds-based property consultants Dove Haigh Phillips, also said: “The refurbishment of the 1912 Mill is a complete triumph, a wonderful balance of cutting edge modern office space in an environment rich in history and heritage. The attention to detail is stunning and the 1912 Mill now provides arguably the finest office space in the Leeds-Bradford corridor.

“The crowning glory of the 1912 Mill is the top floor, which has been lovingly restored and where the fabulous new Northern Light window, the first new northern light roof in northern England, stands out. This creates a stunning commercial penthouse. The owners of Sunny Bank Mills took the brave decision to invest heavily in this building and, indeed in the rest of the complex, and this decision has paid dividends.

“This is one of the most significant mill regeneration projects currently being undertaken in Yorkshire. Steeped in history and with massive potential, Sunny Bank Mills is fast becoming one of the prime business locations in the West Leeds area.”