The Knowledge: the Leeds City Ambassador Guide to Leeds Leeds – the facts • The third largest city in the UK with a population of 751,000 in 2011 • The population is forecast to reach 840,000 by 2021 • In the geographical centre of the UK, yet only 2 hours from London by train • The second largest local metropolitan authority by area extending 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, and 13 miles (21 km) from north to south • Over 65% of the Leeds district is green belt land and the city centre is less than twenty miles (32 km) from the Yorkshire Dales National Park which has some of the most spectacular scenery and countryside in the UK Leeds – history The name Leeds derives from ‘Loidis’, the name given to a forest covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century. A Leeds person is known as a ‘Loiner,' a word of uncertain origin. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading of wool. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre; wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing, and other industries were important. From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. Today Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of West Yorkshire. It is served by three universities and has the UK’s fourth largest urban economy. After London, Leeds is the largest legal centre in the UK, and in 2011 its financial and insurance services industry was worth £2.1 billion, the 5th largest in the UK, with over 30 national and international banks located in the city. It is the leading UK city for telephone delivered banking and related financial services, with over 30 call centres employing around 20,000 people. Visiting Leeds Leeds is a place with many visitor attractions, for example Kirkstall Abbey, Harewood House, Lotherton Hall, Temple Newsam, The City Museum, Canal Gardens, The Royal Armouries and the world’s oldest working railway – Middleton Colliery Light Railway • The tourism industry generates an estimated £1bn to the local economy supporting 19,000 full-time equivalent jobs. • In 2009 there were 1.4 million visitor trips made to the city, 84% of which were made by domestic visitors and 16% by overseas visitors. Staying visitors spent an average of 5 nights in the city • These staying visitors spent £280 million in the local economy. 1 • There were an estimated 10.9 million day visitors from the rest of the region • These day visitors generated an estimated £513 million of expenditure. • Other tourism activity accounted for approximately £38.8 million expenditure • Pre-1990 there were only 850 hotel bedrooms in Leeds. By 2013 this had increased to 4000. There are proposals for a further 2,400 bedrooms in 17 hotels, with the 206-bed Leeds Arena Hilton currently under construction Leeds is also a base for the wider Yorkshire area — the three national parks of the Dales, the Peaks, the Moors and the heritage coast, Bronte Country and the like. Yorkshire has been listed as one of the top three places in the world to visit in the latest (2014) Lonely Planet guide, only behind destinations in India and Australia. Leeds Visitor Centre at Leeds Art Gallery offers a wide range of services to visitors and residents including: • Accommodation booking service • Metro, First and local transport advice, tickets and passes • Tickets for West Yorkshire Playhouse, City Varieties, Leeds Grand Theatre • Tickets for major city events • National Express, National Holidays and Kee Travel Agent • Gifts, books and souvenirs Visit Leeds and Art Gallery Shop, Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AA Phone: 00 44 (0)113 2425242 Email: [email protected] Getting about in Leeds Leeds is the hub of a major international airport and has excellent links by rail, bus, and car to all point of the compass. A new trolleybus system is being planned. Roads • There are 2,965 km of roads within Leeds with easy access to M1, M621 and M62 motorways • The new East Leeds Link to M1 has opened access to employment land especially in the Aire Valley • Upgrading of A1 between Bramham and Wetherby is now complete • Leeds City Centre Loop provides an efficient inner circulatory route for essential traffic Rail, Buses & Trolleybus • Leeds City station is one of the busiest in England outside London, with over 900 trains and 100,000 passengers passing through every day. It provides national and international connections as well as services to local and regional destinations. The station itself has 17 platforms, making it the largest in England outside London • £245m invested at Leeds City Station in 2002, including new track, platforms and station remodelling. • Leeds is served by the electrified East Coast Main Line route. 2 • Work will start in 2014 on an additional southern entrance to Leeds City Station • Leeds will be serviced by the high speed rail link HS2, with an indicative journey time of 1 hour 22 minutes to London • Leeds City bus station is situated between the Quarry Hill and Leeds City Markets areas of Leeds city centre. It is owned and managed by Metro. There is a small bus interchange at Leeds Railway Station • Bus journeys account for 21% of all morning peak journeys into Leeds City Centre • There are 3.5 km of bus guideways in Leeds • The Leeds City Bus runs in a circle, linking key nodes in the city centre, serving the bus, coach and railway stations, the town hall, Leeds General Infirmary plus the nearby dental and maternity hospitals, the two main universities in the city, University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University, plus the many shops and markets in the city • The Leeds City Bus has carried over 6 m passengers since 2006 • A modern trolleybus network for Leeds is planned with an initial route from a park and ride at Stourton in the south of the city to Holt Park in the north via Hunslet, New Dock, the City Centre and Headingley • The Leeds trolleybus plans have £174m funding contribution from the Department for Transport for the £250m scheme Air Leeds Bradford International Airport is located in Yeadon, about 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of the city centre, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Turkey and the USA. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport, Brussels Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. • Leeds Bradford International, currently has 3m passengers per year. This is predicted to rise to 8m by 2026 • BMI, Jet2, Ryanair, Flybe, Eastern Airways, Easyjet,KLM cityhopper, and Airsouthwest operate services • 2,200 jobs created directly by the airport, with new developments creating a further 2,000 jobs There is a direct rail service from Leeds to Manchester Airport. Humberside Airport is 70 miles (113 km) east of Leeds. Parking There are many car parks serving Leeds City Centre – these are the main ones • Boar Lane - The Bourse South Side (24 hrs) • Former International Pool - Westgate (24 hrs) • Leeds Station - Long Stay MSCP (24 hrs) • Leeds Station Riverside - Aire Street (24 hrs) • Merrion Centre - Merrion Way (24 hrs) • Rose Bowl - Portland Crescent (underground section closes at 23.00 hours) • The Core - Albion Street (closes at 24.00) • Sovereign Street • St Johns Centre - Merrion Street (24 hrs) 3 • Swinegate Car Park (24 hrs) • Templar Street & Edward Street Car Park (24 hrs) • The Light - St Anne's Street (24 hrs) • Wellington Place (24 hrs) • West Riding House (24 hrs) • Westgate - Castle Street (24 hrs) • Woodhouse Lane (24 hrs) Taxis The main taxi ranks in the City Centre are at • Calverley Street (LGI) • City Square (Loch Fyne) • Cookridge Street (opposite Walkabout) • Duncan Street • First Direct Arena • Greek Street • Leeds City Station • Merrion Street (Santander) • New Briggate (Grand Theatre) • The Headrow – Dortmund Square, The Light, Primark • Vicar Lane (Victoria Quarter) • Wade Lane (Fairfax House) • Woodhouse Lane (Oceana) How to get a taxi/private hire Hackney Carriages in Leeds are mainly white with a black bonnet and boot (oval stickers on the doors) or with a full body advertising wrap. They will have an illuminated ‘Taxi’ sign fitted to the roof. These can be caught at a rank and all fares should be metered. They can also be flagged down in the street if their roof light is illuminated. Private Hire vehicles in Leeds can be any colour or type of saloon or people carrier and have red stickers on the doors and a red rear plate. These must be pre booked in advance through the private hire operator base. They cannot be flagged down in the street or sit on Hackney Carriage ranks. If a journey taken that is not booked in advance their insurance will be automatically invalidated. There is no designated pick up point for Private Hire vehicles and should only be booked through a licensed Private Hire operator. Culture in Leeds Leeds is a place to take part in cultural activities such as Theatre, Opera, Dance, Music, Art, or to study history. Media • Leeds was where the first known moving pictures in the world were filmed, taken in the city in 1888 by Louis Le Prince and this fact is commemorated on a blue plaque on Leeds Bridge. 4 • Regional television and radio stations have bases in the city; BBC Television and ITV both have regional studios and broadcasting centres in Leeds.