This year seems to bring some great architectural developments for Leeds. Although with the current situation of Covid-19 outbreak, the development might be delayed a little bit. However, there are plans of a major revamp. The city of Leeds has some really exciting projects lined up for this year. And there are a lot of them. Keeping track of the upcoming projects can be hectic. That’s why, we bring to you the top 5 biggest developments in Leeds for 2020.
The revamp of Leeds General Infirmary
(Image: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)
One of the biggest developmental projects for 2020 is the plan to revamp the Leeds General Infirmary. The plan has already been approved by the administration. It is a £650 million project. The plan is to build a new adult hospital. It will have operating theatres as well as critical care facilities. A children’s hospital will also be built. It is worth noting that the work on this project has already begun. The project is expected to be completed in 2025.
Building Yorkshire’s tallest building, Altus House
(Image: https://olympianhomes.com)
Huge skyscrapers aren’t anything new for the people of Leeds. There are huge skyscrapers everywhere. And new projects are approved almost every month. But now, the construction has started on a 38 storey skyscraper in Yorkshire. It will be built at the junction of Lowell Park Road and Merrion Way. When completed, it will be the tallest building in Leeds. This building will be known as Altus House and it is going to be the residence of university students. The building will be 114 meters tall. The project will be completed by 2021. There are going to be 752 bedrooms and studio flats in this building. Apart from that, there will also be common areas for the students.
X1 South Bank
(Image: https://x1developments.com)
This is a £210 million project on Evans Halshaw site on Hunslet Road. X1 South Bank will be a huge complex with 928 houses, restaurants, offices and shops. The developers of this sprawling project have already received the green light and the work is underway. This complex is supposed to have different types of living spaces starting from the modest one bedroom apartments to sprawling town houses. There will be a total of five buildings in the complex. This project will be completed in 5 stages. Once completed, this complex will house 8000 homes. This project will also employ 35000 people.
Wellington Place Development
(Image: www.wellingtonplace.co.uk)
This project is currently underway as the construction work has already started. The Phase one of the site has already been completed. It consists of a 860,000 sq ft of space which houses various offices and retail spaces. 30 businesses including Google operate from the site. The developers have received the green signal to start building on the nearby six plots. And thus, the Phase two of the project has begun. The plan is to construct a 830,000 sq ft space. It will contain offices as well as public area in addition of 200 apartments. The project will be completed on the investment of £600 million. It will be one of the largest city centres in Leeds.
The Temple District
(Image: www.ceg.co.uk)
This is a project that is part of the plan of regenerating the South Bank. The plan is to develop a new city centre district near the Leeds train station. It will be known as the Temple District. This is a £350 million project. And this project will have two office buildings. The buildings will have shops in the ground floor. Apart from offices, there will also be shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. This project will also build around 750 homes. Construction will start this year.
These are five of the major developments that will take place in Leeds in 2020. Apart from these, there are also other projects. But, these are the biggest projects that will reshape the Leeds skyline.
Tall buildings are good for the prosperity of our city. They distinguish us from a provincial back-water & attract investment.
Leeds lacks a modern transport system. Our representatives suffer from the inability to extract funds for our infrastructure. Newcastle with its metro system; Liverpool & Glasgow with their underground, Nottingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh & other places with their mainly segregated tram system.
All these places are inferior in job stature to Leeds.
The electorate of our great city should never forget that Alistair Darling, a Labour minister cancelled our Super Tram project.
Let’s make it an issue that we demand a decent light rail mass transport system for our city & its suburbs.
We, the electorate of Leeds should make this a future election issue.
Let our city leaders not be so tame when they confront the government in Westminster for funds.
Once the diesel fumes of buses & out of date diesel trains have been replaced by an electric modern light rail system, then we can consider limiting car usage.
Great words and agree 100%