If planning permission is granted, the Leicester City Council-owned property will be transformed into a ‘landmark destination’ for start-ups and growing businesses
A disused factory will be given an £11.4 million makeover in plans to transform it into a business hub at the heart of Leicester.
The Pilot House renovation scheme has been signed off on by city mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, bringing it one step closer to becoming a reality.
If planning permission is granted, the Leicester City Council-owned property on King Street, in the city centre, will be transformed into a ‘landmark destination’ for start-ups and growing businesses and will support nearly 250 highly skilled jobs.
It is hoped the scheme will encourage students graduating from both of the city’s university to remain in the area.
The council said: The renovation will help regenerate a part of the city centre that has suffered disproportionately from loss of footfall and economic activity.
It will grow the successful, but relatively invisible, city creative design cluster and refurbish a group of architecturally significant but currently dilapidated heritage buildings, it said.
The outcome will be a highly visible landmark ‘destination’, a source of pride for Leicester, a hive of activity throughout the day and evening, it said.
Plans for the five-building complex include maintaining the existing industrial features such as its parquet flooring exposed bricks and beams and creating a new courtyard entrance from King Street which would play host to food and drink businesses.
The central courtyard and an atrium would be built for shared use, as well as dedicated zone for technical and digital businesses and a co-working lounge.
Work is expected to start on the building in 2023, with the building open for business from Spring 2024.
The project is expected to adhere to ‘the lowest possible carbon emissions’ both in terms of day-to-day emissions from the running of the building and of the carbon footprint of construction materials and waste.
