Work has been completed on a new £12m purpose-built venue in Leeds, which will provide a new home for Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre.

Wates Construction built the new six-storey building, which has been designed by Strategic Design Alliance - a partnership between Leeds City Council and Jacobs Architecture. Housing one of the largest dance rehearsal spaces outside London, the venue features seven dance studios - including a 230-seat studio theatre featuring work by artist Jo Fairfax.

A health suite; wardrobe facilities; office space; and a public exhibition space are also among the building's facilities, while the entrance features a 20m (66ft)-high glass frontage. Leeds City Council contributed £6.6m and the site towards the development, with a further £4m provided by Arts Council England. Northern Ballet raised more than £1m.

Northern Ballet chief executive Mark Skipper said: "Our new dance centre will help establish Leeds as a powerhouse for dance in the UK. "The fact that we now have our own purpose-built home, more than ten years after setting out to make this vision a reality, is thanks to investment from both public and private sectors."

Image: Jonathan Taylor