Leicester city mayor declares Quarter Two officially open at Wheatsheaf Works

Sir Peter Soulsby officially opened the second phase of Leicester’s iconic Wheatsheaf Works development at a special event to celebrate the ongoing transformation of the site.

Leicester’s city mayor cut the ribbon at the new show home during an exclusive invitation-only event held by redevelopment specialist Urban Rhythm, which is transforming the site of the former shoe factory into 172 high quality new homes.

Sir Peter Soulsby, who was joined by industry professionals and council members at the special event, was then given a guided tour of the new show home at Quarter Two, as well as the factory building.

Built in 1891, the Wheatsheaf Works Shoe and Boot Factory was once the largest shoe factory in the world, but had sat derelict for at least a decade before Urban Rhythm began its £13 million transformation of the Grade II listed buildings.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby comments: "This wonderful building is an important reminder of Leicester's manufacturing past, but it's stood sad and empty for far too long.

"I'm therefore delighted to see it being brought back into use with such an imaginative scheme."

The new homes at Quarter Two are the first to be built within one of the former factory buildings and include 10 townhouses and 17 apartments.

Urban Rhythm has utilised the building’s original features within the new homes in order to celebrate its past and create an attractive blend of old and new.

Richard Hazelton, Commercial Director at The Hazelton Group, comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Sir Peter Soulsby to Wheatsheaf Works to mark a very special occasion for us and this historic site.

“We are very proud to be breathing new life into this Grade II listed building and know the city’s home buyers will be impressed with the unique homes we have created here at Quarter Two.

“These are the first homes to be built within the iconic factory buildings and as a result a number of homes benefit from its original features.

“We believe this building has been unoccupied for 30 years, so we are pleased to have transformed it into an attractive and desirable place to live.”

All homes have been designed with energy efficiency in mind and benefit from air source heat pumps.

These extract heat from the outside air in order to heat the home, helping to reduce energy bills.

One, two and three-bedroom homes are priced from £109,950.

The new show home, on Wordsworth Road, is open from Thursday to Monday, 10.30am to 5.30pm. Find out more by logging onto wheatsheafworks.com.