An  iconic Leeds shopping destination has won a major architecture award at a ceremony in the city last night.

The Victoria Quarter, in Briggate in the city centre, won the Outstanding Contribution award at the Leeds Architecture Awards 2013 dinner – at Leeds Town Hall – for the outstanding contribution it has made to the city’s architecture over the last 25 years.

‘The Knightsbridge of the North’, as it is known, has seen huge growth in visitor numbers, with a 14% increase in footfall on 2013 since the new year.

John Bade, centre director of the Victoria Quarter said: “It’s an honour to have won the Outstanding Contribution Award in what has been a tremendous year for the Leeds cityscape. The Victoria Quarter has a rich and diverse history spanning more than 100 years, and is an iconic piece of Yorkshire architecture, so to have been acknowledged with such a prestigious award is a real testament to it’s timelessness.

We have a really exciting year ahead planned for the Victoria Quarter and we want to invite people from across the region to come and visit us here, not only for the incredible array of luxury shops, but also to admire the building’s completely unique architecture.“

Opened in 1996, the shopping centre, home to high-end shops such as Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith and Harvey Nichols, as well as six restaurants and eateries, is set in a spectacular Victorian-era arcade.

Designed by Derek Latham of Latham Architects, the award celebrates the 20th century reinvention of the arcade and the transformational contribution to the regeneration of the city centre. It is the first time such an award has been given.

Now in its 25th year, the awards aim to promote a sense of pride in the new developments that are reshaping the city of Leeds and making a major contribution to its future development.