Leeds Tower Works: Grade II listed building set for £3m refurbishment as it's snapped up by developer

Engine House, which stands on the Tower Works site on Globe Road, will be bought by the Legal and General Fund for an undisclosed fee. The Legal and General Fund is already redeveloping the rest of Tower Works, which was once a thriving cog in Leeds’ textile industry, into more than 200 flats.

Built in 1899, Engine House has been vacant for more than two decades and was described by the council as commercially unviable in 2013, due to the extensive repairs and maintenance needed to restore it. But the sale of the building will trigger £3m worth of investment into refurbishing it. Two thirds of that will put up by the developers themselves, with the rest coming from a ringfenced heritage grant.

Confirming the move at a meeting of the city council’s executive board on Wednesday, Councillor Helen Hayden said Engine House would be fully refurbished by 2024.

Councillor Hayden, who is the council’s executive member for infrastructure, said: “This is a significant opportunity which will contribute to the long-term sustainability of both the building and the wider regeneration of the south bank.”