Two new businesses join £16m ‘transformational’ Leeds city centre development

A new £16m student accommodation development in the centre of Leeds has seen every apartment and two commercial units occupied.

Oasis Residence, situated on Cookridge Street off Millennium Square, has become home to a new office for its creator, property company YPP, as well as a Chinese supermarket.

YPP, which has led the development, has taken a 1,400 sq ft office for its lettings team, while the Chinese supermarket is set to open a 2,300 sq ft store in the ground floor retail space at the site.

The part six and part eight storey building - designed by Leeds-based firm Brewster Bye Architects - consists of 96 self-contained studio apartments, all of which have been fully occupied since their completion last year.

In addition, the accommodation features a range of communal facilities including a lounge, fitness suite, cinema room and study areas.

Omar Al-Nujaifi from YPP commented: “Oasis Residence is a spectacular development, offering exceptional living accommodation with superb on-site facilities. It’s also in a highly sought-after location, just a short walk from both universities and with a huge range of shops, restaurants and bars on its doorstep.

“The development’s ground floor space is also the ideal location for our second Leeds office, which complements our existing site on Blenheim Terrace.

‘It’s immediately proving popular with both our team and clients alike and is the ideal location to showcase our portfolio of city centre rental properties.“

Chris Austin, managing director at Brewster Bye Architects, added: “This development has created a stunning, landmark building where a derelict bar once stood. It now offers high quality living accommodation and great views which have immediately made it a popular place to live.

“Crucially, it’s also a welcome addition to Cookridge Street and sits comfortably within the existing streetscape and next to the neighbouring O2 Academy’s beautiful and historic façade.”