Manchester firm Simpson Haugh behind 100m tall building

Plans for a £100m student residential tower in the middle of Leeds have been given the green light by the city council.

The Simpson Haugh-designed project at 44 Merrion Street will replace a large 1970s office block that was previously home to Spanish banking giant Santander.

The Merrion Project 3

The scheme will have an arcade-style reception area

The building, which rises to just under 100m, will have 573 undergraduate club rooms and studio apartments, together with 87 postgraduate studio apartments.

The development company – Merrion Street Leeds Ltd – is owned by Real Estate Capital Holdings in partnership with developer Bloombridge.

The building includes a ground floor arcade-style reception and a postgraduate rooftop amenity space.

The tower is predominantly made up of cluster apartments – accounting for approximately 73% of the total mix of accommodation.

In addition to Simpson Haugh, which is behind a series of towers across the Pennines in Manchester, the project team includes Savills, WSP, Re-Form and Paragon.

The Merrion Project 1