Thorpe Park Leeds pledges continued support for Leeds City Region

The joint venture by Scarborough International Properties Ltd and Legal & General Capital has extended its sponsorship of the Leeds City Region delegation for a further 12 months, following a successful partnership approach that resulted in the City Region�s most effective MIPIM campaign to date. This continued support also demonstrates the private sector�s sustained confidence in the City Region and its drive to promote the opportunities available to both national and international investors and occupiers.

The 1.35 million sq ft mixed-use development will be represented throughout a packed programme of activity that will focus on investment, development and occupier opportunities across the City Region. In addition, Leeds City Region will once again unite with the core cities of the north of England to showcase the developing narrative around the Northern Powerhouse and highlight the North�s asks of the Autumn Statement.

Over the last 12 months, phase two of Thorpe Park Leeds has continued to progress towards its goal of being the UK�s best business park to include retail and leisure and extensive parkland. March saw planning consent granted for a 60,000 sq ft cinema on the site, coming shortly before Next was confirmed as the anchor tenant for the retail element, with a 18,000 sq ft store. In addition to this the site will see the creation of 300 new homes by Redrow. The work at Thorpe Park Leeds will also open up the East Leeds Extension and the East Leeds Orbital Road which once completed will add an additional �600m GVA to the regional economy by 2040 and deliver up to 7,000 new homes.

Simon McCabe of Scarborough International Properties commented: �We are pleased to again take centre stage with Leeds at MIPIM UK to underline the progress we have made since the announcement that Legal & General had made its first investment, under a unique partnership with UK Trade & Investment�s Regeneration Investment Organisation, in Thorpe Park Leeds.

�Phase two is a leading example of public/private sector collaboration, supporting the economy of the Leeds region as well as the �Northern Powerhouse�.

�Thorpe Park Leeds with direct access from the M1 is already an important business location for both Leeds and the north of England. The plans for the new development are groundbreaking in their scale and mix of uses. Our vision is to create a business and leisure location unrivaled in the UK.�

Rachel Dickie, Investment Manager at Legal & General Capital, said: ""We're proud of our commitment to Thorpe Park to date and look forward to seeing through the next phase of this exciting scheme for Leeds. Successful regeneration projects have the ability to boost local economies, create jobs and add to the vibrancy of an area, and at Thorpe Park we are seeing just that.""

Roger Marsh OBE, chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), added: �I�m delighted that Thorpe Park Leeds, Scarborough Group International and Legal and General Capital are continuing to support Leeds City Region�s presence at MIPIM. Together with our other private sector partners I believe we have developed a truly collaborative, public private partnership approach which is seen by the business community as hugely beneficial. I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Mark Jackson and emphasising to the influential audience that Leeds City Region is not just ready for investment but is already delivering significant returns to investors.�

Leeds City Region�s presence at MIPIM UK is led by the LEP and is delivered in partnership with private sector businesses including Thorpe Park Leeds, Aire Valley Land, a joint venture by Harworth Group Plc and Evans Property Group; CEG, Shulmans LLP and Quod. Public sector representatives from across Leeds City Region will also be attending MIPIM UK, in order to demonstrate the strength of the region as a destination for international investment at the heart of the UK.

To find out more information about Leeds City Region�s attendance at MIPIM UK 2016 and its delegation, click here. To find out more about Thorpe Park Leeds please visit http://thorpeparkleeds.com/