The New South Bank: A Vision for City Centre South

Highlights  The Leeds Sustainable Development  Building upon the Council’s City Group (LSDG) is a network of Centre Park initiative, the Cycle interested parties who share the Superhighway and NGT, the LSDG objective of creating a sustainable has facilitated the provision of a city and, in particular, a commitment Free School and is progressing a to enabling such a community on the new pedestrian/cycle route to two ‘New South Bank’. new colleges.  The area between the and  The LSDG is seeking to encourage the is characterised the adoption of a framework which by extensive vacant and underused will provide investors, landowners, sites which could accommodate developers and, most significantly, significant housing development, potential residents with a degree of offering families an opportunity to certainty about the delivery of other live close to the city centre. essential community facilities – this  There is currently no comprehensive will support the early development plan for this southern part of the City of significant family housing. Centre, with the area falling within a  Alongside a physical Vision, the number of separate policy LSDG seeks to develop an economic, statements – some parts, including social, environmental and cultural those which would be affected by Vision, creating a unique High Speed 2, do not have any opportunity to transform the city. adopted local planning policy.  A key is to build upon the positive elements now emerging and to ensure there is a proactive and holistic framework to deliver a shared Vision.

Leeds Sustainable Development Group October 2013

Introduction

The Leeds Sustainable Development Group The Group has made representations on a (LSDG) is a network of academics, number of LCC draft planning policies and entrepreneurs, professionals and residents statements, commented on key planning who share a commitment to Leeds and wish applications and reviewed significant to work with (LCC) to investment projects such as High Speed 2 achieve the common objective of Leeds (HS2). It has developed informal partnerships becoming the ‘Best City in the UK by 2030’. with land-owners and occupiers in this part of the city. The LSDG has been instrumental Since March 2010, the LSDG has been The ‘New South in forming the Leeds Academy CIC, which is a operating under the terms of a Charter partnership between the LSDG and The Bank’ between the which emphasises the promotion of truly Gorse Academies Trust to deliver a new River Aire and the sustainable development as part of the ‘Best 1,500 pupil mainstream Free School in the M621 motorway City’ vision, learning from the many excellent area, and in facilitating the development of ‘Compact’ and Smart’ approach precedents offers special ‘The Stray’, a pedestrian/cycle route through used to regenerate regional cities such as opportunities to the heart of the area. Malmo and Freiburg. create a medium- In order to build upon these initiatives and The LSDG has focussed its activity on the density, mixed-use help LCC deliver a new structure for this southern part of between extension to the city emerging district, the LSDG feels that there is the River Aire and the motorways (see Map centre an opportunity for all stakeholders to work 1). Over the next 20 to 30 years, this area together to create a visionary framework for will see major regeneration and can be a site the area. The purpose of this prospectus is to for exemplar sustainable development. set out the rationale for delivering a There are many vacant or under-utilised sites culturally enriched sustainable community in and premises which represent a tremendous the New South Bank and to explain the ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to create principal activities, some of which have a truly sustainable city centre already been progressed, in terms of neighbourhood of family housing, Context, Location, Intent, Issues and Way employment and community facilities. Forward.

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Context

Through consultation with residents and the With the Core Strategy setting a context for “A vision is neither a expertise of partner organisations, the Leeds delivering this vision, there is a need to ‘blue print’ nor a Initiative has developed a city-wide Vision translate these city-wide policies and kind of ‘mould’ that that will serve the needs and wants of the proposals to more local initiatives on lines will be applied to ... residents and businesses of Leeds. envisaged in the Localism Act including: (an area.  empowering communities to do things The key aim for the period 2011 to 2030 is to There is no) ... direct be the ‘Best City in the UK’, meaning that: their way – by creating rights for people to get involved with, and direct the instrument in the  Leeds will be fair, open and welcoming development of, their communities planning system  Leeds’ economy will be prosperous and  opening up government to public scrutiny that might translate sustainable – by releasing government information the vision into

 all Leeds’ communities will be successful. into the public domain, so that people actions. On the Like other national and international cities, can know how their money is spent, how contrary, it is a Leeds is faced with a number of key it is used and to what effect continuous process challenges. The city’s population is projected  strengthening accountability to local which has periods of to rise to around one million, its economy is people – by giving every citizen the higher and lower still recovering from the effects of global power to change the services provided to recession and the consequences of a them through participation, choice or the activity, using the changing climate have become all too ballot box. various existing apparent. In addressing these challenges, planning A true commitment to a public private Leeds must continue to be a forward-looking partnership would extend the City Vision to instruments at city and have a clear plan for the future. individual areas by identifying projects municipal or

needed and then getting passionately behind regional level”. them. That means boldness, and also From a paper by humility, because it is impossible to see P Ache on Helsinki round every corner and not everything planned will be right. A framework for the whole of the New South Bank would be a focus for a public-private partnership charged with delivering visionary change in the city, creating an exemplar neighbourhood showcasing best practice in terms of urban regeneration.

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Location

Map 1 shows an initial view as to the extent the last 30 years and there are pockets of of the New South Bank area. The boundary is recent apartment and employment not ‘cast in stone’ and should in any event be development elsewhere. permeable. The geographical extent of the However, this area now has some 210 acres Vision document will be tested as part of any (85 hectares) of vacant or under-utilised sites exploration of issues, before being agreed and premises, all of which represents a with adjacent communities. significant opportunity for the city. This is The area developed over the years as the also an area of transition between the base for the Leeds manufacturing and opportunity represented by Leeds city centre engineering economy and much of that still north of the River Aire and the deprived remains, particularly south of Road. communities of , Beeston Hill and Along the waterfront, new residential and Hunslet outside the defined City Centre. leisure buildings has been constructed over

... some 210 acres (85 hectares) of vacant or under- utilised sites and premises, all of which represents a significant opportunity for the city

Map 1: The New South Bank

To the north of the river, Leeds City Centre is These ‘Quarters’ all have clearly defined divided into various key areas including the roles which, in the current recessionary Prime Retail Quarter, the Civic Quarter (Civic environment, consolidate a very large Hall, Leeds General Infirmary & Universities), proportion of the private investment into the Prime Office Quarter (Wellington Place these areas. The New South Bank initiative and Park Place) and the Leisure Quarters would bring a fresh impetus and rationale to (The Calls, Greek Street and the Arena). that part of Leeds city centre immediately south of the river.

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The Council recognises this and the area is subject to various town planning policies including:  Leeds City Centre (UDP boundary)  Holbeck Urban Village  Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan  Leeds South Bank Planning Statement.

As can be seen from Map 2 some of these policy areas overlap but in a large proportion of the New South Bank area, there is no policy coverage. There is an opportunity to create an updated, more focused and comprehensive long term framework for the whole area while conforming to this planning policy background.

There is a marked contrast between the established City Centre and Holbeck, Beeston Hill and Hunslet. A more comprehensive framework would engage with these communities, aiming to ‘bridge the gap’ in terms of physical and psychological barriers between them and opportunities in the City Map 2: LCC Regeneration Policy Areas Centre.

The Emerging City Centre Transport Strategy Finally, the HS2 terminal is to be located in within the Core Strategy will also have this part of the City Centre (see Map 3). This implications for the area, with the City is a long term project and construction of the Centre Loop potentially diverted through the northern section of the line (between New South Bank. The strategy introduces the Birmingham and Leeds) is not due to start principle of closed transport ‘cells’ south of until the mid-2020s for completion by 2033. Hunslet Road which would mean this wide In the interim, this has significant potential highway would lose much of its function and to blight large parts of the New South Bank could be narrowed down. and measures are needed now to help mitigate its effect by identifying ‘meanwhile uses’ and planning for its delivery.

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Intent

The area has a very clear identity as part of Linking the City Park to Hunslet Road and the defined city centre, bounded by the river ‘reclaiming’ the excess highway for

to the north, the motorway and ring road to pedestrians would integrate the retail park the south and east, and the railway to the into the fabric of the city and provide a focus west. It retains much of the industrial for community facilities.

development which has characterised the The area has played an important role in the area for many years but recently these uses history of the city, with the medieval access have begun to fragment, with the loss of key routes for cloth from the south converging ‘heavy’ industries from core sites (Yorkshire on Leeds Bridge at Bridge End. Holbeck was Chemicals and Carlsberg Tetley’s Brewery in the cradle of the industrial revolution in particular). As a result, the area has been th Leeds in the late 18 century and Hunslet opened up as a prime opportunity for new was the home of its success as a centre of types of development. But there needs to be engineering in the 19th and early 20th a reason to go south of the river. centuries. The proposed City Park has the potential to Heritage assets in the area include Temple

‘make a new market’ through stimulating a Works in Holbeck Urban Village, Braimes “Success cannot be new series of developments. However, given Engineering works, Alf Cooke's Printworks on delivered by planning the potential scale of the development Hunslet Lane (revitalised as Leeds City in detail all elements opportunity in the southern part of the City College), Salem Chapel (an internet hub) and of the change at the Centre, it is also essential to work ‘with the Tetley’s headquarters building (The Tetley outset. Rather, it can market’, i.e. to build upon and link to the Centre for Contemporary Art and Learning). be delivered by existing assets which generate footfall and These buildings have the potential to be key setting out a clear and therefore commercial value. In this respect, drivers for footfall and commercial activity. agreed vision, and The South Bank has the benefit of some key then underpinning ‘attractors’ which should be embraced, Although the Royal Armouries is a national this with a roadmap including Crown Point Retail Park, many museum of international repute, it has that does not over- historic buildings, New Dock, Royal remained isolated on the edge of the city plan but that provides Armouries and the waterfront itself. centre. The owners of New Dock have a framework for an aspirations to transform the area into a Crown Point is a thriving 1980s shopping organic, inclusive sustainable community which injects much centre which was designed around the car as process of change to needed spirit and vibrancy into this an ‘out of town’ complex. There is now an deliver the vision important part of Leeds. Such plans would be opportunity to bring this ‘into the city over time for city considerably enhanced by integrating the centre’, extending its role to serve local stakeholders”. dock and waterfront with a developing residents and businesses, complementing residential neighbourhood. BSI PAS 181 DPC draft: the prime retail quarter to the north. The August 2013: Smart city retail park is the same distance south of the Although now primarily a commercial framework – Guidance for river as Harvey Nichols is north but few community, over the years the New South decision-makers in smart people consider walking to Crown Point. Bank has the potential to change its cities and communities. character and gradually become a mixed residential, business and culture area.

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Cultural activity in the broadest sense should  Resources – where LCC is being forced to be placed at the heart of the New South cut its budget, community-based Bank. The value of culture in enriching planning presents an opportunity for the human life is widely acknowledged: Authority to harness local enthusiasm participation in cultural activity contributes and expertise to help plan for, attract and to individuals’ general well-being, can deliver new investment. improve mental health, impacts positively on  Opportunity – as set out above, there is educational attainment in young people and considerable opportunity in terms of the plays a vital role in social cohesion. Models quantum of vacant and underutilised of culture-led regeneration and the land for development and it is important repurposing of heritage assets for cultural that this development (whenever it use are well-known and the Vision should comes forward) is coordinated and well look to identify exemplars in this sector and planned. learn from them.  Focus – by engaging with land-owners, The aim should be to create a Cultural Forum investors and developers, the LSDG aims The New South on the New South Bank which, at present, to create a focus/rationale for the New Bank has the could include The Tetley, Brewery Wharf, South Bank – other areas have a defined potential to take New Dock, Royal Armouries, Leeds City role but that for this part of the City significant housing College at the Printworks, Leeds College of Centre still needs to be determined (e.g. pressures from the Building and the Gorse Academy. one role may be to provide family housing in a mixed use and sustainable suburbs, creating a Partners would work towards an overarching environment). new sustainable cultural policy or strategy for the New South community on Bank which dovetails with aims and  Flexibility – the intention is not to ambitions expressed by LCC, Arts Council “master-plan” the city or pigeon hole ‘brownfield’ land. England and other key stakeholders. The particular sites or land-ownerships into strategy should place principles of inclusivity particular uses but proposals need to be at its heart and have the ambition to widen debated within an overall sense of how participation in culture among existing and development could be coordinated – this new communities in the neighbourhood, will help avoid piece-meal interventions particularly those where existing provision, and missed opportunities, while enabling and therefore the level of engagement, is management of CIL funds more low. effectively to benefit both land-owners and the wider community. To summarise, what is the current context  Delivery – notwithstanding the current and what are the available opportunities and economic circumstances, by acting in mechanisms that can help create the New consort with land-owners and South Bank vision? developers, development can be  Localism – the current Coalition govern- delivered faster than would otherwise be ment has created the statutory the case – examples include LSDG’s framework and sought to devolve powers initiatives to help kick-start the City Park to local communities through the by promoting The Stray and obtaining Localism Act. finance for an Academy to act as a catalyst for family housing.

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Issues

An important element for the delivery of the  planning of new schools, health, cultural, New South Bank Vision would be the community and convenience retail

creation of a long-term ‘infrastructure facilities which will be required to achieve framework’ from which individual land- a truly sustainable development owners and developers can respond to the  the introduction from the outset of market as it changes over time. If the environmentally-advanced methods of framework has longevity, it will give addressing issues such as energy ... ‘infrastructure’ investors confidence that there is a coherent production and waste recycling/disposal. plan for the area. should form a The important point is that the coherent whole and A prescriptive land use ‘master-plan’ will ‘infrastructure’ should form a coherent ... the development quickly date as the property market changes whole and that the development pressures pressures of the day so consideration should be given to the of the day should not compromise future should not following more generic issues: options. Within any significant ‘development compromise future  the creation of a movement pattern and plots’ identified in the framework, fine grain, options. spatial structure which prioritises phased schemes are to be encouraged. pedestrian and cycle routes, controls However, it is important to prevent this fine local vehicular use and limits through grain becoming ‘piecemeal’. traffic The concept of sustainability which is at the  the encouragement of family housing core of the LSDG Charter cuts across wide over a larger area which will create the social, economic and environmental themes. critical mass needed to deliver a While these themes will be given equal sustainable community weight, to ensure the framework is manageable, deliverable and focussed it is

proposed to concentrate on three key areas.

Accordia, Cambridgeshire

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Infrastructure Framework

The infrastructure framework is intended to decisions do not impact on the long term promote development in a co-ordinated deliverability of other projects. manner across the short, medium and long The framework would need to address both term, ensuring that short term development social and economic infrastructure: Social infrastructure Economic infrastructure  schools  traffic and highways  healthcare  flood risk / mitigation  community facilities / places of worship  utilities  cultural and leisure activities  waste  local shopping  broadband and telecoms  park and green space  environmental improvements. The New South Bank will be inextricably In future, when energy is even more linked into the well-established city centre expensive and resource constraints are more and it cannot be planned either in isolation evident, there will be greater demand for from, or prior to, a detailed and holistic people to live, work and carry out all aspects analysis of the options available for of daily life within a narrower geographical "The potential for a amending, extending or rationalising all range. Walking and cycling will be identified lively city is relevant infrastructure elements. as the main means of moving around day to strengthened when day, so urban form and functions will need more people are A significant feature is the existing highway to be adapted now to enable more people to invited to walk, bike network – there is a need to establish a live in this way. The Canal Towpath, the and stay in city sustainable hierarchy of routes to prioritise Leeds-Bradford Cycle Superhighway, existing space. ... After pedestrians and cycle users while cycle routes to Middleton and an extended almost 50 years of accommodating city centre local traffic on a Stray would tie New South Bank into a neglect of the macro/micro scale and ensuring appropriate sustainable travel network. human dimension, routes for through traffic. here at the The strength of a holistic ‘infrastructure plan’ At present, the roads south of the river are beginning of the is to widen the scope of thinking to, for an ‘extension of the motorway’ and serve to 21st century we example, localise production and change take traffic between the M621 and the have an urgent need patterns of consumption by reserving established city centre (north of the river) as and growing suitable sites for energy generation, water quickly as possible. It is important that traffic willingness to once management, waste treatment, food on Hunslet Road, Meadow Lane and Crown again create cities production and local repair, reuse and Point Road is reduced. Linked to investment for people" recycling of materials and goods. These in additional motorway and rail footbridges, Jan Gehl "Cities for functions may, of course, be integrated into this can help remove the barrier effect People" 2010 new or altered built structures with other between the existing city centre and areas to main purposes. the south such as Hunslet, Beeston Hill and Holbeck.

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Family Housing

The Leeds Core Strategy identifies the need The Council has a number of regeneration to deliver more housing, requiring that some policy areas which are a focus for investment 70,000 (net) new dwellings are developed and development including: between 2012 and 2028 to meet the housing  Holbeck Urban Village: the wider HUV demands and job growth aspirations of the area has the potential for circa 3,800

City. At present, it is envisaged that much of homes this development would take place on the A 2008 survey by a  the New South Bank is partly within the fringes of the city, with all the implications USA real estate Aire Valley Urban Eco-Settlement which this has for the protection of our green- will comprise some 6,500 to 9,000 new company found space, long term commuting, support service homes that 77% of young viability and the like. The Core Strategy adults report states that ‘one of the biggest challenges  the Beeston Hill and Holbeck Private wanting to live in Leeds faces is to provide enough quality and Finance Initiative will result in refurbishment of circa 1,245 existing an urban core, not accessible homes to meet the city’s growing population, whilst protecting the quality of Council homes and the construction of in the suburbs the environment and respecting community 390 new Council homes. where they grew identity.’ The New South Bank has capacity for up. They want to At present, much of the new housing is to be approximately 12,000 residential units be close to each developed on the suburban fringes of the (including 8,000 family homes), depending other, to services, urban area, expanding existing settlements on density assumptions. to places to meet, such as and . Such The return to city centre living which and to work, and decentralisation will inevitably increase accompanied the last economic boom was they would rather pressure on congested transport corridors. hailed as a urban renaissance but led to a walk than drive. The New South Bank area would go a long mono-culture of primarily young, single They say they are way to providing these homes. Of the 70,000 professionals. A sustainable community willing to live in a new units identified, the spatial policy needs a mixed population which includes all ages. smaller space in requires that 10,200 (15.5%) are developed order to be able to in the City Centre and a further 10,000 (15%) However, family housing will not be are in the Inner Area which surrounds the afford this lifestyle. developed to the required quality if City Centre. appropriate social and economic

infrastructure is not delivered. Families will not stay in the City Centre or relocate back into the City Centre if there are no ‘Outstanding’ schools, parks or community support facilities. Some 1,300 primary and 900 secondary school places would be required to serve just the housing units identified above.

Sustainable family housing, Freiburg

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High Speed Two

Map 3 shows the Government’s preferred location for the HS2 station in Leeds City Centre, at the heart of the New South Bank area. It is absolutely right that HS2 passengers have direct access to the existing mainline station for onward travel. However, as the Phase 2 scheme between Birmingham and Leeds is not due to be completed until 2033, doing nothing in the short term provides the potential for significant blight in the interim.

The alternative is to seize this opportunity to plan for the arrival of HS2 as part of the future fabric of the city. There is no reason for development to stop until HS2 is completed and the preparation of an infrastructure framework will act as a vehicle for debate and discussion about the short, medium and long term impacts of HS2.

The intention would be to use the framework to guide ‘meanwhile’ uses and permanent schemes such that as HS2 becomes more certain, the developments can respond accordingly. Map 3: Location of Leeds HS2 Station

The Stray: today and tomorrow

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Way Forward

The New South The LSDG already comprises a wide cross- Bank could be the representation of people who live, work or focus for a City of do business in the city. Although focussed on a single area, the preparation of an infra- Culture bid, building structure framework that accommodates a on the precedent of vision for the creation of the New South London’s South Bank is a natural evolution for the LSDG, Bank to deliver a allowing it to test the delivery of its wider mixed use objectives

neighbourhood of In order to establish an ‘inclusive’ international framework, it would be valuable to have standing representation from a wide range of stakeholders: residents community organisations business owners land-owners developers professional organisations contractors local Councillors

The LSDG comprises all of the above people The LSDG envisages undertaking the (with the current exception of local following steps in order to establish early Councillors). engagement and agreement.

It has already held a number of public This prospectus is part of this process: meetings and invitation-only land-owner/  contributing to LCC policy and strategy investor meetings. The intention is to build initiatives within the area on these contacts and engagements to  building relationships with land-owners, ensure that, through use of public meetings investors and local businesses and electronic communications, enthusiastic participants can deliver a framework with a  approaching local interest groups, the strong mandate from the wider community. resident & working community, City & Hunslet and Holbeck & Beeston Ward Councillors  developing a SWOT analysis to determine issues to be considered  finalising the scope of the framework  clearly defining the Vision for wider communication to all stakeholders.

Leeds Sustainable Development Group www.leeds-sdg.com October 2013 Sustainable family housing, Freiburg

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