Canopy is a creative industries hub situated on King St Leicester. A home for creative enterprise from across the creative industries, Canopy is a destination for businesses, talent, academics, visitors and the general public alike.

A symbol of the creative sector’s growing confidence and ambition, Canopy aims to foster innovation and collaboration as routine – a place where new ideas flourish.

Explore CANOPY...

54 workspaces (offices) at LCB Depot (£18 per sq ft, from £203 to £1998 pcm – 162 to 1598 sq ft)
30 workspaces (offices) at Phoenix (£18 per sq ft, from £192 to £1214 pcm – 155 to 972 sq ft)
10 studios at Makers’ Yard including two shared studios (6 and 9), (£12 – £13 per sq ft, from £133 to £1320 pcm – from a 98 sq ft bay in a shared studio to 723 sq ft)
Standard let is 2-year rolling lease (LCB Depot & Phoenix) – short term lease options available (minimum one month); or one-year Licence (Makers’ Yard)
24/7 access all year round
Managed internet and telephony system, plug in from day one – monthly Internet packages £25 – £81.50 +VAT, download 100Mb – 250Mb, upload 100Mb – 400+Mb
Electricity, telephony, internet, and business rates are charged in addition, if required
All spaces are unfurnished
All our workspaces and studios at LCB Depot, Phoenix and Makers’ Yard get 100% small business rates relief because none has a Rateable Value (RV) greater than £12K – meaning you will not pay any business rates for one with us if you only occupy one business property in England [you get 100% relief for a property with an RV of £12K or less; for properties with an RV of £12,001 to £15K, the rate of relief is awarded on a sliding scale decreasing from 100% to 0%]

For more info on LCB Depot and Phoenix workspaces,

Workspace FAQs

Who manages the workspaces at LCB Depot and Phoenix Square?

The workspaces at LCB Depot and Phoenix Square are owned and managed by Leicester City Council through the team at LCB Depot. The public areas of Phoenix Square are managed by Leicester Arts Centre Ltd.

Who can rent a workspace at LCB Depot or Phoenix Square?

Spaces are available to companies and individuals working in the creative industries, or those who provide an important part of the supply chain to the sector. Companies need to satisfy our letting criteria and workspaces are allocated following a successful application and satisfactory bank reference

How do I get a workspace at LCB Depot or Phoenix Square?

Prospective tenants need to have a tour of available studios to see what is appropriate to their needs and get an idea of costs. Check the availability of our workspaces at www.lcbdepot.co.uk/workspaces

How much do workspaces at LCB Depot and Phoenix Square cost?

Workspaces at LCB Depot and Phoenix cost £18 per square foot per year (+VAT) and include a service charge.

What about business rates?

Business rates are charged in addition to the rent and service charge. Business rates range from £325 to £2,932 pa – however, most LCB Depot and Phoenix Square workspaces qualify for zero business rates under the small business rate relief scheme. For more info see www.leicester.gov.uk/businessrates

What spaces and sizes do you offer?

The 55 workspaces at LCB Depot and 30 at Phoenix Square have different sizes and costs. Please note that these figures are approximate and for guidance only. Desk space is calculated on 7m2 per person.

LCB DEPOT

Small units

15m2– 32m2(160sq ft – 345sq ft) 1 – 4 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £240 – £518 +VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £2,880 – £6,210 +VAT

Medium units

33m2 – 58m2 (355 – 680 sq ft) 5 – 7 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £533 – £1,020 +VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £6,390 – £12,240 +VAT

Large units

64m2 – 149m2 (690 – 1600 sq ft) 8 – 19 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £1,035 – £2,400+VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £12,420 – £28,800 +VAT

PHOENIX SQUARE

Small units – 12 units

20m2 – 32m2 (215sq ft – 350sq ft) 3 – 5 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £323 – £525 +VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £3,870 – £6,300 +VAT

Medium units – 6 units

32m2 – 44m2 (350sq ft – 467sq ft) 5 – 6 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £525 – £701 +VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £6,300 – £8,406 +VAT

Large units – 4 units

64m2 – 90m2 (690 – 970 sq ft) 9 – 13 desks
Rent per month (including service charge): £1035 – £1,455 +VAT
Rent per annum (including service charge): £12,420 – £17,460 +VAT

What happens with my lease and what do I pay up front?

Once we have received a satisfactory bank reference and a successful completed application form we draw up the lease. Which we then your application and reference are sent to the legal team at Leicester City Council. The lease is for two years but has a three-month written notice period so that a tenant can leave before that time if needed with no surrender fee. Shorter leases are also available for projects needing a space on a temporary basis. A start date is agreed with the tenant, and they then sign the agreement. At this point the tenant pays the deposit, which is for the value of one month’s rent excluding VAT. They are then free to move in.

Where can I park?

LCB Depot

Tenants are not permitted to park at LCB Depot but may bring vehicles into the rear courtyard from Colton Street to load and unload. On-street meter parking is also available in surrounding streets (max 2 hours 6am-6pm, generally £1 for one hour and £3 for up to 2 hours). Disabled parking is available in our courtyard for Blue Badge holders. We have cycle racks and a lockable cycle shelter for tenants in our courtyard, and showers in the building.

Phoenix

A pay and display car park is available next to Phoenix (entrance on Burton Street LE1 1TE). Parking costs £1 (up to one hour), £3 (1-3 hours), £4 (3-4 hours), £6 (4-6 hours), £8 (6-9 hours) and £9 (9-12 hours), between 6am and 6pm Monday to Saturday. Evening parking here Mon-Sat 6pm to 6am costs a flat rate of £2; on Sundays and Bank Holidays there is a £1 charge and a maximum stay of four hours. On-street meter parking is also available in surrounding streets (max 2 hours 6am-6pm, generally £1 for one hour and £3 for up to 2 hours), some of which have disabled parking bays for Blue Badge holders. There are also cycle racks outside and in the basement, and showers available.

There are two NCP car parks in the area, Rutland Centre in Halford Street (across the road from LCB Depot), and Lee Circle. LCB Depot and Phoenix tenants and their visitors may park all day for £7.95 at NCP Rutland Centre (normal price £18.95) if they validate their ticket at LCB Depot’s café counter or at Phoenix Reception. Lee Circle charges £7.95 for all-day parking.

See more travel/location info at www.lcbdepot.co.uk/contact-us

Is there a reception service?

During office hours (Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm at LCB Depot; Monday to Friday 11am to 5.00pm at Phoenix) there is a reception service for workspaces that will greet visitors, take deliveries and put calls through to tenants. LCB Depot has a photocopier/printer for its tenants’ use.

What kind of telephone system is available?

There is a cloud telephone system (should you choose to join us) at LCB Depot and Phoenix, with full voicemail and divert capabilities. Resident companies are allocated direct dial phone numbers. Calls to local, national and UK landline and UK mobile numbers are free.

What Internet provision is there?

Workspaces at LCB Depot and Phoenix all have high-speed Internet connection. We offer these Internet packages to tenants:

Business Standard
100Mb download/100Mb upload £31.50 pcm +VAT (£25 for sole traders)

Business Plus
150Mb download/100Mb upload £51.50 pcm +VAT

Business Premium
250Mb download/400+Mb upload £81.50 pcm +VAT

We are happy to discuss individual requirements in more detail. The café-bars and LCB business lounges at LCB Depot and Phoenix offer free wifi to customers/members.

What other facilities are available?

Our workspace tenants at LCB Depot and Phoenix can hire any of the four LCB Depot meeting rooms at a discounted rate, from £6 to £18 plus VAT per hour – see www.lcbdepot.com.uk/meeting-rooms

Phoenix has meeting rooms and cinema screens available for hire to businesses, groups and individuals. These are managed by Leicester Arts Centre Ltd (LAC Ltd), which is also responsible for the running of the public areas of Phoenix.

What bills can I expect to receive?

Each tenant receives a monthly utilities invoice for any services used in the previous month. The invoice recharges telephone line rental, call charges, electricity, photocopy charges, and any hire of LCB Depot facilities such as meeting rooms. Rental bills are to be paid in advance on a quarterly basis, although a regular monthly payment can be arranged by setting up a standing order/direct debit. Business Rates are charged to tenants directly by the Rates Department, and a payment schedule can be arranged with them.

What is included in my rent?

The rental figure quoted for each workspace includes a service charge that includes and excludes the following (applies to both LCB Depot and Phoenix unless stated otherwise):

Included in service charge	Excluded
Exclusive use of individual workspace, including 24 hour access	VAT Business rates, ranging from £325 to £2,932 pa (most LCB & Phoenix workspaces qualify for zero business rates under the small business rate relief scheme)
Heating and water	Bank reference (approx £10) charged by your bank
Building insurance	Contents insurance, individual public liability insurance, employer’s liability insurance
Option to join our cloud phone system	Cloud Telephone line rental (from £8.95 pcm per user) Internet charges – different packages from £25 to £81.50 + VAT pcm Installation of additional data/telephone points
Reception service, including your individual post box	Administrative services (e.g. photocopier at LCB Depot)
Deliveries of mail and parcels	Hire of facilities such as meeting rooms, and hire of media production facilities at Phoenix.
Cleaning of communal areas, including kitchens, toilets and sanitary services	Cleaning of individual workspace, including windows
General waste and recycling bins, and waste collection for the building	Removal of restricted waste (e.g. paint, chemicals), electrical goods and large items
Communal kitchen including fridge, hot water boiler/kettle, sink and bin	Workspace electricity usage – this is separately metered
Cycle racks (and cycle shelter at LCB Depot) and showers	Adaptations to each studio such as shelves. (Studios must too be returned to their original state when vacating).
Security alarms, security cards and keys for each member of staff upon taking occupancy	Additional or replacement security cards and fobs, and keys, are subject to a charge
General building maintenance, including plant, fire and security alarms, lift	Furniture and office equipment (excluding telephone handsets which are provided)
Fire extinguishers in communal areas	Health and Safety issues within each individual workspace. PAT testing of electrical equipment must be carried out by the tenant
24/7 access to workspace	Parking

November 2024
This FAQs document gives a summary of our workspace offer – full terms and conditions are in our
contracts.

or download them here Workspaces FAQs

See what a studio at Makers’ Yard will include.

To be eligible for a workspace, Business Lounge membership or Postal Address Service with us, you must be working within the creative industries – see our letting policy .

We welcome self-employed sole traders & freelancers, limited companies, and business partnerships to our workspaces, business lounges and postal address service.

What do we mean by ‘creative’? See these creative business categories

As an example, if your business is selling swimwear that’s designed and made by other people, we would probably see you as ‘sales’ rather than as a creative business. However, if you design the swimwear – it’s your intellectual property – and you make them yourself or get them made by someone else, and you sell them to customers, we’d see you as a ‘creative business’.

To apply for a space with us, contact us (by email, phone or in person), tell us what your creative business is and what kind of space you’re looking for, check what’s available, and arrange a viewing with us.

We can then email you a link to our application form. The form asks about you and your creative business, for a copy of your most recent audited accounts/bank reference, two trade references, photo ID and proof of address.

If we accept your application and you become a tenant business or business lounge member or postal address client with us, you can use our address as your registered office address.

Business Lounge Membership

Our Business Lounge Membership is for creatives that want to plug into a creative professional community for just £80 per person per month (plus VAT).

24/7 access to a shared business lounge environment in either LCB Depot (A1.04) or Phoenix (WS17) – not both
one-year rolling monthly contract with 30 days notice to quit, renewable
furnished room with tables, chairs and soft seating
lockable storage on site
now includes postal address service (see below) as part of package
Wifi included free, or a secure broadband line can be arranged
communal internal only phone in room for receiving incoming calls or to call within the building. An individual phone line can also be installed.
on-site cafe-bar at both sites and cinema at Phoenix

If you would like to view either business lounge, please email [email protected] or ring 0116 261 6800.

Business Lounge spaces – as of 21/05/24

We currently have four spaces in the LCB Depot Business Lounge, and zero spaces in our Phoenix Business Lounge.

For creatives on the go, our postal address service enables a creative business or individual to join the LCB Depot community without having the commitment of renting a workspace. This package costs £25 a month / £250 per year (including VAT) and includes:

Use of either LCB Depot or Phoenix (not both) as a postal address for your incoming mail
Pick up your mail Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm (LCB Depot); 12pm-5pm (Phoenix)
You can phone/email us to check if you have mail here
Discounted rates on hire of our meeting rooms, including our Print Room – a small meeting room on the ground floor of LCB in our cafe/bar area at £6 per hour + VAT – Monday to Friday
As a postal address client with us, you can use our address as your registered office address.

The Postal Address Service is included in Business Lounge membership (see above).

To apply for a Business Lounge Membership or Postal Address service, contact us on 0116 261 6800 or email [email protected] and we’ll email you a link to our application form.