Tall & Urban News

Plans have been submitted by the developer that propose a 36-story building and refurbishment of the 1964 Wade House, part of the Merrion Centre development in Leeds. The redevelopment would demolish a four-story building on the site occupied by a disused Odeon cinema which closed in 1974, has been deemed unsuitable for reuse due to its specific design features, including tiered concrete steps, and substantial deterioration due to its several decades of disuse. Once cleared, it will be the site for the new high-rise, 100 Merrion Centre, which would contain 846 student rooms. The Wade House, which has been mostly vacant since May 2021, and would be refurbished and extended to house a total of 264 student rooms.

The two buildings will also contain residents’ lounges, co-working spaces, meeting spaces, cinema, gym, karaoke room, 191 secure bicycle spaces and external terraces. The developers have said that the move to focus on a student accommodation scheme on the sites underscores its “commitment to adapting and diversifying the mixed-use destination to meet evolving demands.”

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