OUTLOOK LEEDS CIVIC TRUST NEWSLETTER MARCH 2019 PLANNING NEWS CRANES DOT THE LANDSCAPE ONCE AGAIN AND PRESENTATIONS TO PLANNING CONTINUE APACE SEE PAGE 2 HALTON DIAL THIS RUNDOWN BUILDING ON THE YORK ROAD REVEALS ITS FINE 1930s PAST SEE PAGE 4 FOCUS ON FLOODING WE FIND OUT MORE FROM LCC ABOUT PLANS FOR PHASE II OF THE FLOOD ALLEVIATION SCHEME SEE PAGE 6 LEEDS: KEY TO THE NORTH PLANNING CHAIR, MIKE PIET, WAS A GUEST AT A SPECIAL LEEDS PARLIAMENTARY EVENT SEE PAGE 8 ARCHITECTURE AWARDS WE ROUND UP THE WINNERS OF THIS PRESTIGIOUS BIENNIAL AWARD CEREMONY SEE PAGE 10 FINISHING TOUCH: GOLD CERAMIC DETAILS NOW ADDED TO JOHN LEWIS ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT CONSERVING AND ENHANCING PROMOTING THE IMPROVEMENT THAT IS A SOURCE OF PRIDE THE HERITAGE OF LEEDS OF PUBLIC AMENITIES 2 MARCH 2019 PLANNING NEWS Two complex presentations and lots of planning applications this month, as well as the normal round-up of development gossip. The first presentation in late January related to plans for Phase 2 of the River Aire Flood Alleviation Scheme. This extends protection to riverside properties from Apperley Bridge to Leeds City Centre, hopefully preventing floods like those on Boxing Day 2015. The scheme is a mixture of earth banking, low walls, moveable weirs and flow- easing measures, demonstrating the same degree of careful design as was shown in Phase 1 below Leeds Station. We welcomed this important scheme with its innovative use of temporary water storage lagoons at Calverley and a programme of tree planting as far upstream as Gargrave in order to hold water back before it gets into the river. Full details of the scheme are on pages 6 and 7. The second presentation covered a revised scheme for Tower Works in Holbeck. While this development of • 94 Kirkgate: while supporting this scheme but revised plans were apartments for private rental does the refurbishment of another unit submitted which we felt could be address some of the concerns we along this historic street, we felt care supported expressed with regard to a previous needs to be taken to introduce a • Sweet Street, Holbeck: we had design, we still felt improvements complementary use, not another bar previously objected to plans for a could be made. Our view was that • Castleton Mill, Armley Road: we large Build-to-Rent scheme here the canalside block should be lower supported plans for refurbishment (as did City Council members) but to protect views of the Towers from of a disused block for offices and we were able to support a revised Wellington Place and the railway, opening up views to the canal design and that the bricks proposed for the alongside – we felt further details • Merrion Centre: we commented new buildings should be a different should be provided on the landscape on plans to replace the former shade from the adjoining Towers so treatment proposed cinema with a block of offices – that the historic elements stand out. • Chadwick Lodge, Crown Point while not objecting to the principle We also had some concern that the Road: although the work would of the project, we felt there should proportion of 3-bed units was lower involve interventions in a listed be further consideration of the than required by Council policy – we building, we supported the relationship of the new building to should be seeking to encourage conversion of the attic floor into the existing Wade House family living in the city centre. additional accommodation for the • Gower Street (rear of new Hilton We reviewed a large number of building’s occupier on New York Road): this vast scheme planning applications, with the • Arndale Centre, Headingley: we would provide five tall blocks of following being of note: supported plans to reface the Wood apartments and, while the principle • 54 Albion Street (above Lane elevation and provide better has been accepted previously, we Sainsbury’s): we welcomed plans access to the offices above the shops still have some concerns over the to convert unused upper floors to • Pack Horse PH, Woodhouse Lane: design (one building is ‘missing’ from apartments we had considered objecting to the drawings!) and the impact of WWW.LEEDSCIVICTRUST.ORG.UK OUTLOOK 3 wind/shade on the public spaces proposed. We objected to two applications: • Granary Wharf Car Park: an application to increase the number of spaces provided within the Dark Arches under Leeds Station – with poor vehicular access over Canal Bridge and conflict with pedestrians using the towpath (numbers will increase once Mustard Wharf and Tower Works are complete), we felt this is not an appropriate location for car parking (in line with LCC policy to move it out of the city centre) • Wike Golf Centre: while accepting the principle of relocating the golf courses, we felt the addition of accommodation lodges and significant enlargement of the clubhouse for use as an events venue is not appropriate in the Green Belt – we also felt increased traffic could be hazardous on the narrow access roads. To update you on applications we commented on in the past, plans for the Stourton Park & Ride NEW YORK ROAD/GOWER STREET were approved, as were schemes PROPOSED TRANSFORMATION at Kirkstall Road (Thyssen site), Midland Mills (Holbeck) and Melbourne Road (off North Street). provided for the city’s park & ride in North Leeds and the City Centre, services complementing the responses Other matters of interest discussed through the Connecting Leeds by the Planning Committee are set • ‘golden’ panels, as seen on the website. We will also hear about a out below: front cover, are being installed on the John Lewis building to complete the major housing scheme at Marsh Lane • we reviewed a series of Leeds project. (beyond Quarry Hill). City Council initiatives including a new strategy for the city’s The committee will have a busy Localities, a Homelessness Strategy, time in March, responding to several MIKE PIET a revised Best City Plan for the important consultation exercises. PLANNING COMMITTEE Council as a whole and a Flood Risk The Connecting Leeds website has CHAIR Re-assessment details of plans for upgrading bus infrastructure on Scott Hall Road/ • the Council has approved plans King Lane in North Leeds, providing for works to the A647 route a Park & Ride area at Alwoodley between Leeds and Bradford, Gates, a proposed link road from the including new bus lanes and a A65 at Horsforth to the airport and comprehensive redesign of the the new Airport Parkway Station. Mike’s carpets junction in Armley You can find details at https://www. • several meetings have been held leeds.gov.uk/parking-roads-and- about Temple Works – ideas for its travel/road-improvement-schemes/ use are being sought connecting-leeds. I encourage all to • the Hyde Park Picture House has make personal comments (positive been awarded Lottery funding for or negative) so as to give a true its extension – although accepting reflection of local opinion. the principle of the project, LCT Next month we will have an objected to its design opportunity to quiz in detail the • new electric buses are to be designers of highway improvements WWW.LEEDSCIVICTRUST.ORG.UK 4 MARCH 2019 HALTON DIAL, YORK ROAD This month Heritage Watch group member, Tony McGreavey brings our attention to this former electricity feeder building. One of our members recently raised the case of the disused building located at the junction of York Road and Selby Road, adjacent to Selby Road railway bridge. This unassuming small building, partly hidden by security fencing, has an interesting history. It was constructed c. 1931/2 to house electrical equipment to power the tramway system, in particular to boost the supply needed for trams on Halton Hill, routes 20,22. Its equipment converted the mains AC supply to traction current at 500V DC . In the ‘Leodis’ photo archive, the building is pictured in 1932 more or less as newly built. It was a single storey hipped roof pavilion type structure in brick with white stone or artificial stone plinth and parapets with projecting drip courses at cornice level. The front (west) elevation had four tall WHAT WAS A HANDSOME 1930S DESIGNED windows. On the North side was a STUCTURE IS NOW BARELY RECOGNISABLE tall opening with stone surround flanked by narrow tall windows. The at the apex of a substantial area of In 2014 an outline planning site was bounded by a low brick derelict land which is in a deplorable application was granted for boundary wall with white stone (or condition with rubbish deposits, commercial A1/A3/A5 units to be built art stone) copings. The whole was despite being screened by a plywood on the site. This application saw the a neat, functional, structure with fence. Other buildings within the demolition of the existing building. a hint of the art deco style of the site have been demolished leaving However, as a rare survivor of the period. hardstanding. City’s tramway era, consideration After the end of the trams in 1959, There is an access lane through the should certainly be given to the the building was used as a street site leading back to York Road past feasibility of incorporating the lighting depot then became a pub the Highways tower blocks. It is building into any future development called City Lights. Its last use was remarkable that the site has remained plans with restoration of its key a ‘wild west’ play area. It has been abandoned for so long as it has a features. Leodis suggests there disused for about 5 years. At some prominent frontage to York Road. It were other feeder stations in the stage the building was extended is however hemmed in by York Road outer reaches of the system.