Leeds is seeing a revival in its property and development industry at the moment as it becomes a major player in the Northern Powerhouse, while an international group that enables networking among the sector’s young entrepreneurs has decided to launch in the city.
Young Entrepreneurs in Property has been operating as a networking gateway for “entrepreneurs, rising stars and future leaders” in the property and construction sector since 2002, and already has operations in Dubai, London and Ireland, offering a range of events for people in fields of work including law, development, architecture and design, and investment.
The new Leeds movement has been penned due to the city’s vastly improving market and enticing future prospects, particularly as investors are increasingly keen to focus efforts away from the staple London market.
Emma Murgatroyd, who is chairing the initiative in Leeds, had been London-based before taking up a new role at the Home Group in Leeds, and believes it makes “perfect sense to start the next group here”.
“It is a really growing market in Leeds and everybody recognises that. Firms are moving headquarters up here, the city is one of the northern powerhouses and development has to keep up with that” – Emma Murgatroyd
She added: “Leeds also has brilliant universities and keeps a lot of its graduates and they will need places to live outside of Headingley. The focus of the group is people that are just starting out where networking doesn’t come as naturally as it does for those that have been doing it for ten years.”
Focus on the Leeds South Bank
The new Leeds branch of the networking group is expected to launch in May this year, with a number of events already in the pipeline.
At last month’s MIPIM international property show, representatives from Leeds City Council set out plans for significant housing growth in the city, with investment and regeneration planned for the South Bank area that could double the size and economic output of the city centre, creating 8,000 new homes and 35,000 jobs.
Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “This is an exciting time for residential development in Leeds, as we progress with more than 40 diverse residential projects, with 60 sites identified for future growth – as we target the delivery of 16,500 new homes across the city centre.
“Leeds has always enjoyed its reputation as an innovator in the region, and the residential market is no exception. Through pioneering partnerships, Leeds is likely to become home to Yorkshire’s tallest residential building and the UK’s largest sustainable housing development in the coming years.”
