Work to start on £400m Kirkstall Forge development
THE £400m Kirkstall Forge development in Leeds is set to get underway.
The scheme will deliver a new railway station and access road, paving the way for more than 1,000 new homes and 300,000 sq ft of office space.
Developer Commercial Estates Group (CEG) has already completed a multimillion pound investment into the demolition and remediation of the 23-hectare site. Contractor I & H Brown has been appointed and work will start this month.
A new riverside community of affordable housing, office space and shopping and leisure facilities is planned for the former Kirkstall Forge site.
Its estimated that the development will create around 2,400 new jobs and will also bring about £400m of private sector investment and an estimated £5m per year in local retail spend.
MP for Leeds West, Rachel Reeves, said: “Kirkstall Forge is unique; the quality of the on-site amenities combined with its stunning riverside and woodland location will undoubtedly make it one of the most sought-after destinations in the north for businesses and residents. Kirkstall Forge is set to stimulate the local economy and will ultimately be a catalyst for major regeneration, much-needed housing delivery and job creation on a brownfield site.”
CEG will be investing more than £10m in affordable housing, education and transport improvements as part of the wider Kirkstall Forge redevelopment.
The DfT will provide up to £10.3m towards the £16.9m needed to deliver railway stations on this site and at Apperley Bridge. The remaining 40% of the cost is made up of a local funding package comprising a private sector contribution of over £5m, supplemented by funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Coun Box, chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “A new rail station is a key element of the Kirkstall Forge development site. Together with a new rail station at Apperley Bridge, Kirkstall Forge station will support new jobs, reduce traffic on busy routes between Leeds and Bradford and ease traffic congestion in Leeds city centre. Two trains per hour each way from the station will provide a forecast 400,000 passengers each year with a six-minute link to Leeds city centre, and complement the A65 Quality Bus Lane which opened in 2012.”
