Property specialists have reported a flurry of office lettings in the Aire Valley and Leeds-Bradford corridor amid signs that confidence is returning to the market.

DTZ said the take-up of office space in the ‘Leeds out-of-town’ zone, which includes areas between Bradford and Leeds, had been “encouraging” in the first quarter of 2010, with just over 60,000 sq ft being let.

The market has been stimulated by strong interest in high-quality office developments at Midpoint, Thornbury, and the Waterfront, Shipley.

But the surge in out-of-town office lettings has raised further questions about the quality of standing office stock in Bradford city centre.

Phillip Dawson, associate director at DTZ in Leeds, said: “Recent letting activity in the Leeds-Bradford corridor will see more than 30,000 sq ft of space taken in Quarter Two.

“Significant lettings at Keyland Development’s Midpoint scheme to Univar Europe, Morrisons and Redress Claims sees a flurry of encouraging activity, indicating some confidence returning to the market.”

Mr Dawson said: “In the Aire-Valley corridor, GMI Developments’ office development The Waterfront, Shipley has seen more than 30,000 sq ft let within the last 18 months.

“A further letting in the building to Switch2 Ltd sees a further 7,000 sq ft let. This represents a significant shift in the market.”

Prior to the recent upturn, the Leeds out-of-town office market had been in decline for a number of years.

Take-up figures for the Leeds out-of-town market for 2009 were just under 250,000 sq ft – just half of the 2005 take-up.

But DTZ said the standard of office accommodation available within the Midpoint and Waterfront developments was significantly superior to the majority of standing office stock in central Bradford.