Plans for city centre park move forward
Plans to develop the first phase of a park on land neighbouring the former Tetley Brewery site in South Bank Leeds are to be considered by council bosses next week.
The new park forms a centrepiece of South Bank Leeds, which aims to effectively double the size and economic impact of Leeds city centre and is one of the largest regeneration schemes of its type in Europe.
The park is envisaged to be approximately 3.5 hectares in size when fully complete.
The land proposed for the park covers multiple landowners, with Leeds City Council working with the biggest of those Vastint UK to support the delivery of the initial phase of the park.
Executive board approval would see further work carried out on detailed design for the park after Vastint secured outline planning permission in 2017.
Work will also consider how the park is to be managed.
Construction could begin in late 2019 with phased implementation over the next five years.
To further support the plans, Leeds City Council proposes to redevelop its own land at Meadow Lane – a site which adjoins the former Tetley Brewery – with some of this land becoming part of the park, and with the road connections there altered to help reduce traffic in the area.
As well as being a place to visit, the park would also connect directly to the new HS2 entrance of the remodelled Leeds Station, and to the greenspace at Sovereign Square via a new footbridge.
Leeds City Council executive member for regeneration, transport and planning Cllr Richard Lewis said: “The new city centre park at the heart of the South Bank is a hugely exciting project. It will help make the city centre cleaner and greener, and it will be a welcoming new destination and attraction for the city in its own right, a place where people will want to live, work close to, visit and spend time.
“The public consultation told us a park was the top priority so together with Vastint and the other landowners involved we are committed to doing everything we can to deliver it, not only as a landmark public centrepiece for the South Bank but the whole of Leeds to enjoy and benefit from.”
Andrew Cobden, managing firector of Vastint UK, said: “At Vastint UK we work to create distinct urban environments rarely seen before in this country, inspired by how people enjoy working and living in the modern world. We are so excited about the prospects for this area of Leeds and the park will be a key centrepiece for its future regeneration.”
