42 The Headrow
Project overview
42 The Headrow is a prominent commercial landmark in central Leeds, occupying an island site with frontages to The Headrow, Albion Street, Wormald Row and Dortmund Square. The building provides 106,461 sq ft of office accommodation above ground floor retail, together with 54 basement car parking spaces. Minutes from Leeds Station, the First Direct Arena and Leeds Beckett University, it sits at the centre of one of the UK’s most important regional business districts.
Designed by London architect Arthur S. Ash and built between 1951 and 1955, 42 The Headrow was the final building completed from Sir Reginald Blomfield’s 1920s masterplan for the widened Headrow. Its red brick and Portland stone elevations were designed to sit comfortably alongside the earlier buildings, while its greater height gave it a distinctive position on the city’s main civic and commercial thoroughfare. It was comprehensively redeveloped in the 1990s for Direct Line Group, which occupied the upper floors until 2021.
NO. OF UNITS
106,461 sq ft
STATUS
Refurbishment planned
ADDRESS
42 The Headrow, Leeds LS1 8HZ
Acquired by MCR Property Group in July 2026, 42 The Headrow represents a £37.6 million GDV opportunity and a major investment in the future of Leeds city centre offices. MCR will retain the building as a mixed office and retail asset, despite existing consent for 230 co living homes, and deliver a comprehensive refurbishment that brings the vacant upper floors back into active occupation.
Ground floor retail will maintain an active frontage along The Headrow. Floors one to seven will offer high quality leased accommodation for larger occupiers, while floors eight and nine will provide serviced and flexible workspace for smaller and growing businesses. The asset will also become part of MCR’s new national workspace platform, creating a clear pathway for occupiers to grow from serviced space into larger headquarters within the portfolio.
