Plans have been approved for a new student accommodation scheme in the heart of Leeds.
The new student halls will be located on Merrion Street, knocking down an old bar and nightclub in the process.
The high-spec studio apartments is going to be a huge undertaking for the popular night out location. The new building is set to be a part-five, part-seven and part-nine storey building, with almost 88 apartments and associated amenities like a lounge, cinema room, study spaces and gyms.
Merrion Street. / Image: WikiCommons
The new building will see the shell of former bar and nightclub Mayaimi Bar transformed. The Merrion Street bar was well known around the city for its extensive list of cocktails and laid-back atmosphere since its opening in 2012, but the bar closed a few years ago.
Attempting to replicate the Miami nightlife scene across the pond, Mayaimi Bar hosted a huge dance floor with 'state of the art sound and light' and cabanas inside the nightclub building.
Since closing between 2018 and 2019, the bar's location it appears that nobody took over the bar, allowing plans to go ahead for the student accommodation.
Mark Henderson, from Brewster Bye Architects, said: “This is the second purpose build student accommodation scheme we have designed and successfully achieved planning for with Urban under the Engage brand, following the approval of a large-scale development in Nottingham city centre.
“It’s a great location for students, in the very heart of Leeds, and our design sees the building step down in height and complement the surrounding streetscape. With ground floor glazing that creates an attractive and continuous street frontage on Merrion Street, our scheme will mirror the frontage of neighbouring The Merrion Project and really add to this part of the city centre.”
Merrion Street currently hosts some of the city's best nightlife offerings and is well known for its late-night parties, relaxed dining options and is home to an impressive list of independent and national chain bars and nightclub.
The new student apartments, been designed by Brewster Bye Architects for developer Urban Developments (York) Ltd, will replace buildings from 26-34 Merrion Street and is due to start its transformation process this summer, due to be completed for occupation by 2024.
Feature Image- Brewster Bye Architects
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Sophie Smith -
4th April 2022 
