A CLUSTER of former factory buildings in Leicester city centre that has been transformed into a home for the creative industries will be formally opened today (Thursday).
Leicester City Council’s ambitious regeneration of the five heritage buildings on the Pilot House site has created Canopy – an imaginative redevelopment on King Street providing more than 30,000sqft of high-quality workspace.
The new workspace will support the city’s creative and design sector, becoming a base for businesses with a focus on enterprise and innovation, and helping to support around 250 jobs in the city centre.
As well as contemporary office accommodation, Canopy’s tenants will have access to attractive meeting rooms and conference facilities, a co-working lounge, a reception area, an outdoor courtyard and a popular coffee shop and bakery.
Interest in Canopy from the creative sector has been high, with 47% of its units – ranging in size from 150sqft to 4,800sqft – pre-let ahead of the building’s official opening today (Thursday 12 March).
By the end of next month, a dozen tenants will have moved in, including businesses working in design, fashion, calligraphy, animation, sustainability, dance and music.
The first business to sign up for a tenancy, however, was the creative team behind the look and feel of Canopy. Project architects and multidisciplinary practice rg+p won the design contract for the development in 2022 and will relocate its Leicester studio to Canopy later this month.
Rob Woolston, rg+p’s director, said: “Since winning the design contract, we’ve worked closely with the city council to develop a design to bring this fascinating cluster of former factory buildings back into productive use, while retaining their historic character.
“With the lease on our current studio ending, we quickly realised the space we were looking for was the one that we are incredibly proud to have helped to create. We’re looking forward to making Canopy our new home.”
Already settled in their new home at Canopy are the conservation experts from the Leather Conservation Centre.
The international centre for leather conservation, education and research moved into their new studio space in a repurposed factory last year, supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers.
Since then, the highly-skilled team of five has worked on a number of restoration projects, including the conservation of a leather football used during the Battle of Loos in the First World War, the treatment of an 18th century sedan chair from Holyrood Palace and the preservation of a rare Roman ‘caliga’ sandal, uncovered by archaeologists in Oxfordshire.
A programme of workshops, covering themes such as bookmaking, mending and working with leather, gives members of the public the chance to visit the centre and learn skills from the experts, while a free guided studio tour takes place on the last Thursday of each month.
Outreach and engagement coordinator Beth Elford said: “Our move from Northampton to our new purpose-fitted studio in Leicester marks a significant milestone in the Leather Conservation Centre’s development.
“Our new space at Canopy gives us the room, facilities and visibility to expand our conservation work, broaden the range of training and professional development we can offer, and engage more meaningfully with new audiences and partners.
“Visitors who book on to our free Open Studio sessions will get a flavour of the remarkable breadth of leather and skin-based conservation work we undertake – from historic commissions to treasured personal items – and we look forward to showing more people around our studio at our next open session later this month.”
Places on the guided studio tour on Thursday 26 March can be booked here
Also open for business is the hugely popular coffee shop and bakery, Public, which has been serving up its signature filled croissants and imaginative menu from Canopy’s stunning atrium (pictured) since January.
Public’s chief creative officer Raffaele Russo said: “We’ve always been drawn to buildings with character, so Canopy, with its original factory features, feels like a natural home for Public.
“Since opening our doors in January, we’ve been welcoming people in for good coffee, croissants and a menu that reflects the way we like to do things.
“We’re here – every day – to provide freshly-baked bread and our delicious range of sweet and savoury food to all our customers, including those who are part of the growing Canopy community.”
The £14.6m development of Canopy – which was supported by £9.9m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund – represents significant investment in Leicester’s creative economy.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Canopy is set to become a hub for creativity in a unique heritage setting in Leicester city centre.
“By bringing businesses together, it will help drive collaboration and innovation, while nurturing entrepreneurial talent and stimulating growth in the creative sector.
“It’s extremely encouraging that nearly half of the workspace has been let, before Canopy has officially opened, and I’m optimistic that we’ll see interest in the remaining space from companies looking to relocate to Leicester, as well as from local businesses, keen to be part of this growing creative community.
“I’m very proud that Canopy is now open for business and that a cluster of buildings from Leicester’s industrial past will now be playing their part in the city’s future economic prosperity.”
The City Mayor will join tenants and guests at Canopy today (Thursday) to mark the workspace’s formal opening.
Canopy is run by the same team that manages the city council’s successful workspaces at LCB Depot, Phoenix Workspace and Makers’ Yard in Leicester’s cultural quarter.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the workspaces available at Canopy should email Canopy@lcbdepot.co.uk
The redevelopment of the Pilot House site and its transformation into Canopy was carried out by Henry Brothers Construction under contract to Leicester City Council.
Ian Taylor, MD of Henry Brothers Construction, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the official opening of Canopy in Leicester, a project that reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional spaces for communities.
“The Henry Brothers Construction team takes great pride in the fact that we have played a key role in transforming these historic buildings in Leicester and giving them a new lease of life to become important assets in the future of the city’s creative sector and wider economy.”
Canopy has been funded by the UK Government and Leicester City Council.