Legal & General has expanded its government hub programme to over £1.5bn (€1.7bn) with the acquisition of an asset in northern England from R20.

The UK insurer said it bought the 373,913sqft Quarry House office asset in Leeds for £243m on behalf of Legal & General Retirement.

The asset is let to The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for 25 years.

Quarry House marks L&G’s second government hub investment in Leeds in a month, having purchased Wellington Place on behalf of HMRC and NHS Digital in August.

The latest deal is L&G’s eleventh government hub deal.

Tom Roberts, head of strategic investment, at LGIM Real Assets said the acquisition of Quarry House is L&G’s eleventh government hub investment.

”Our investment in the programme has now surpassed over £1.5bn and we have a very strong appetite to secure more.

“Aiding regional regeneration and supporting employment and productivity growth remains a key driver for us, whilst the government hubs programme is a perfect match for Legal & General Retirement’s pension commitments, offering security through high-quality long-term investments.”