Articles From the Team
Leeds takes the Lead!
Having been born and raised in the great Northern City of Manchester, it hadn’t crossed my mind that I could admire another city especially in the north as much as I did Manchester. Furthermore, having supported Manchester United my whole life, I never would have imagined that this City would be one of our fiercest rivals…..Leeds. I’ve been working in the Leeds market at BCL for 6 months now and I have to be honest with myself, the city has well and truly won me over and here’s why;
Infrastructure – Whilst I currently work in Manchester City centre, I spend a certain amount of time each week in Leeds depending on client & candidate needs and the journey is lot shorter than you would think. There are regular trains from Manchester to Leeds which on average take around 45 minutes, meaning I can be in Leeds within an hour. Furthermore, the inevitable introduction of HS2 will drive business to Leeds from all over the country. With a trip from London to Leeds taking around 1 hour and 20 minutes and Leeds to Birmingham, just under an hour. There has also been heavy investment in a number of projects across the city centre. Perhaps the most impressive of these projects would be the development of Wellington Place. This fantastically modern and unique business park really will be future for the financial and legal services in Leeds. Having recently met a client in one of the new office blocks, I can honestly say that some of these offices put the finest in Manchester to shame. There has been an unbelievable amount of money pumped into Leeds’s Infrastructure over the past decade and now we are starting to see the results.
Affordability – Last year Leeds was voted as the top English city to live in by the Money supermarket Quality of UK Living survey as the average salaries increased and the weekly cost of living remained relatively modest considering the size of the city. It is no secret that it is becoming increasingly more expensive to live in the big cities, however Leeds is one of the very few metropolitan powerhouses that have managed to keep prices at an affordable level as well as the cost of living despite the rise in salaries.
Culture – The cultural, historical and architectural heritage of Leeds is well represented by a host of museums, theatres, stately homes and art galleries, from the national attractions of the Royal Armouries and the Thackray Medical Museum to the fine mansions of Harewood House, Temple Newsam and Lotherton Hall. Leeds is also in the middle of launching their bid for the European Capital of Culture 2023 which will be officially starting in February 2017, meaning that for the next few years there will be a significant investment to promote culture in Leeds making it an exciting time for any member of the Leeds Community.
Shopping Centres – Leeds has a handful of shopping districts to suit every needs. I would strongly recommend visiting the Trinity Shopping centre which is a stones throw from the Train station with over 120 shops and restaurants this unique partially indoor & outdoor shopping centre has a little bit of everything for everyone. If the modern shopping centre isn’t quite up your street, the Victorian quarter offers numerous high end and luxury shops all under one Victorian roof.
Location – With there being a short drive to the Yorkshire dales and a not too tedious journey over to the Peak District, Leeds is positioned perfectly if you ever wanted to escape the city and have a relaxed weekend away. Furthermore, there are numerous historic and fantastic Towns & Cities such as York and Harrogate just a half hour away.
So, if you hadn’t already guessed, Leeds has forced me to take off my Manchester tinted glasses and realise that it’s not the only great northern city that is constantly improving. The commute, investment in infrastructure, geographical location, affordability, culture and ever expanding shopping centres has made Leeds a truly great place to live. If you are considering re-locating then why not make Leeds an option?