Spinners Yard
Brownfield regeneration creating a build-to-rent community in central Leeds.
Spinners Yard
Brownfield regeneration creating a build-to-rent community in central Leeds.
Client. RISE Homes
Location. Leeds
Value & Size. £34.5 million / 151,600 sqft / 185 Dwellings
Service. Architecture / Interiors
Status. Completed
Spinners Yard is a 185-unit build-to-rent residential development located in Mabgate, an evolving Leeds neighbourhood shaped by its industrial heritage and now undergoing significant regeneration. This project plays a pivotal role in that transformation, offering a sustainable, community-focused model for urban living that responds sensitively to place and purpose. The catalytic effect it is helping to bring about is already encouraging the redevelopment of other underutilised sites beyond the A64(M) ring road, including the neighbouring site.
5plus were appointed in late 2020 to reimagine a previously consented scheme and lead the Section 73 planning process. While the general building footprint and height were predetermined, our design approach focused on improving how the building occupied its site and engaged with its surroundings, particularly its prominent corner position addressing Regent Street on the approach into the city centre. The scheme completes the urban block and plays a key role in terminating long-range views from the north, establishing a clear threshold to the expanding city centre and acting as a strong visual and spatial marker.
The dwellings provided typically exceed Nationally Described Space Standards, with a varied mix of one, two and three-bedroom layouts designed to attract a broad demographic. Each apartment benefits from private external space, whether through projecting or Juliet balconies or roof terraces, positioned to maximise views and natural light. Alongside this, shared amenity is prioritised, with flexible co-working and lounge areas, a fully equipped gym, a landscaped courtyard, and a rooftop garden offering opportunities for both social interaction and quiet retreat.
The landscape strategy is central to this amenity offer, particularly at roof level where a contemporary roofscape blends ecological planting with refined urban materials to create a calm and immersive environment above the city. Drawing inspiration from the fluid geological patterns that underpin the local landscape, the design translates these forms into softly sculpted planting beds and meandering routes that organise movement, meeting and moments of pause.
Planting has been carefully curated to provide strong seasonal expression while remaining robust in a rooftop environment. Multi-stem trees introduce a light canopy structure, offering spring blossom, autumn colour and winter bark interest, ensuring year-round visual richness. Beneath this, a layered palette of ornamental grasses, perennials and shade-tolerant species creates texture, movement and biodiversity, reflecting a contemporary interpretation of naturalistic planting communities.
Externally, the building draws on Mabgate’s textile and manufacturing heritage. A robust masonry expression and regular fenestration evoke a mill-like solidity, contrasted by the uppermost floors where a distinctive roof silhouette references traditional industrial forms while introducing more dynamic apartment typologies. This language is echoed at ground level along Skinner Lane, helping the building meet the street with a more human-scaled response. The interplay between order and expression gives the scheme a strong identity while reinforcing its contextual fit.
Sustainability was a key driver from the outset, reflecting the client’s ambition and values. The building connects to Leeds’ low-carbon district heating network as an early private adopter and exceeds current energy performance standards. Material choices, including a high-efficiency brick slip façade system, reduce embodied carbon and improve programme efficiency. One notable statistic: for every 14 lorry loads of traditional bricks, just one is required for brick slips, illustrating the significant carbon savings achieved.
Biophilic principles underpin both the interior and landscape design, with natural materials, planting and daylight carefully integrated throughout. Even at a finer grain, details such as recycled content in furniture fabrics reflect a holistic and considered approach.
Spinners Yard is not only a high-quality residential development; it is an exemplar of sensitive urban regeneration, demonstrating how architecture and landscape can work together to shape a more sustainable, inclusive and liveable future for Leeds.
Awards
2025 Insider Yorkshire Awards Residential Development of the Year
2025 Best Build to Rent at The Yorkshires, Residential Real Estate Awards
Credentials
EPC A
BREEAM Excellent
Fitwell 3 Star
Project Team
Structural Engineer. SGI
Building Services Engineer. QED
Acoustic Engineer. Sandy Brown
Fire Engineer. DFC
Quantity Surveyor. Dalbergia Group
Planning Consultant. ID Planning
Landscape Architect. Layer Studio
Principle Designer. Stace
Approved Inspector. Assent
Visualisation Artist (CGI). Northmade
Principle Contractor. Clegg Construction
North Elevation
Section
Level 10 Floor Plan + Courtyard
Level 9 Floor Plan
First Floor Plan + Courtyard
