Next phase of £400m Kirkstall Forge development goes to planners
The next residential phase of the £400m Kirkstall Forge development has moved ahead, with developers CEG submitting plans to the council.
The detailed planning application includes 112 homes and 23,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space, designed by Stirling prize award-winning Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.It includes retail units, cafes and restaurants around a central courtyard.
Subject to planning permission development could begin in autumn 2017 with homes available for sale in 2018.
It is the latest phase of the Kirkstall Forge master plan, which aims to develop a new community in the area, following the opening of its rail station last year.
CEG has already managed more than £40m of investment into clearance, decontamination and infrastructure.
Following on from the station, the first phase of commercial development is set to finish this autumn, delivering No. 1 Kirkstall Forge, an 110,000 sq ft, seven-storey Grade A office building, which is already 50% let to Zenith for its new headquarters.
The full plans comprise 1,050 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space. Once complete, it is predicted that more than 10,000 people will live, work and visit the site.
Andrew Macintosh, associate at FCBStudios, said: “Much of our inspiration has been taken from ‘model villages’ such as Saltaire and the steep terraced streets found in many Yorkshire towns.
“The communal, pedestrian-friendly areas in front of the homes also benefits from contemporary Scandinavian ideas about co-housing and will help to build a true sense of community amongst those who are lucky enough to be the first to move into this pioneering new neighbourhood. This beautiful urban village creates spaces for a new generation to live, work and explore.”
James Shimwell, head of residential development at CEG, said: “This next phase of development will deliver a vibrant place for people to live, eat, drink and socialise. We have worked extensively with Leeds City Council and our designers to produce a scheme that will deliver the highest quality of contemporary design.”
Jon Kenny from CEG said: “We have invested heavily in regenerating this unique brownfield site and are committed to delivering an ambitious and innovative development for Leeds.
“Kirkstall Forge is unique, it will deliver fresh, sustainable new ways of living and working amongst acres of green space in a wooded riverside setting. With contemporary housing, restaurants, cafés, a school, leisure space and light-filled offices, it will provide the vibrancy of city life as well as the tranquillity of the outdoors.”
Kirkstall Forge is one of the oldest industrial sites in the country, with an 800 year history.
