A MAJOR Yorkshire city is set for expansion as part of a new Government project.
Offering at least 13,000 homes, retail opportunities, and a tram network, this “new town” will be one of 12 developments across the country.
GettyLeeds is set to expand through the planned regeneration of the South Bank area of the city (stock image)[/caption]
Speaking at Labour’s annual conference, Housing Minister Steve Reed said the Government will “do whatever it takes to get Britain building”.
The work on 12 new towns is being taken forwards based on a report from the Government’s New Towns Taskforce.
And the priority for construction in the current Parliament is likely to be given to Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Crews Hill, Enfield, and South Bank, Leeds.
Labour has described these three areas as the “most promising sites”, however, the plans for South Bank aren’t a town in the traditional sense.
Development details
The development will see the expansion of the city on a 258-hectare area on the southern side of the River Aire, which runs from Holbeck to Leeds Dock.
A total of 13,000 homes and three million square feet of commercial space could soon be built in the area.
This part of the city has already seen significant regeneration activity in recent years.
The South Bank new town would be bookended by cultural anchors, with the Royal Armouries Museum to the east and the historic Temple Works.
It could also provide a potential future home for the British Library North on its western side.
The Government taskforce described Leeds as the economic powerhouse of West Yorkshire.
Promising area
It referred to the area as the fastest growth in knowledge-intensive businesses of all UK cities in the last 15 years.
Leeds is the largest financial and professional services centre outside of London and ranks second in the UK for start-up businesses.
However, like Manchester and Bristol, it has been called an “economically growing area, constrained by housing shortages”.
And poor connectivity is also an issue with only 38% of Leeds’ population able to reach the city centre by public transport in 30 minutes or less.
This has effecitvely limited the city, putting a brake on growth and productivity.
12 recommended locations for new towns
Adlington, Cheshire East
South Gloucestershire
Crews Hill, Enfield
Heyford Park, Cherwell
Leeds
Victoria North, Manchester
Marlcombe, East Devon
Milton Keynes
Plymouth
Tempsford, Central Bedfordshire
Thamesmead, Greenwich
Worcestershire Parkway, Wychavon
While the report said Leeds has performed strongly on housing growth, the median house prices are 6.46 times median earnings.
There are more than 26,000 households waiting for homes through the Leeds Homes Register and there’s an above-average rate of substandard housing in the area.
“The inclusion of South Bank in a future New Towns Programme would help address this need for thousands of high-quality, well-designed new homes,” said the report.
It went on to explain that the development would also ensure residents are “well-connected to jobs” and have access to “the infrastructure necessary to create a successful and sustainable new community”.
Leeds city council leader James Lewis said the plans are a “powerful vote of confidence in our city’s ambition and potential”.
“We look forward to seeing the proposals for South Bank develop further as we work closely with the government on the detail,” he added.
City leaders in Leeds have been working on the development of South Bank for years, with plans for a regeneration programme dating back to the previous Conservative government.
Brownfield land in Leeds ticks all the boxes for sustainability compared with building on the green belt.
However, progress has often been hard to achieve because of the costs of demolition and other work needed to prepare it for regeneration.
According to the taskforce, the delivery of homes in Leeds is increasingly “constrained by the lack of enabling infrastructure, transport connectivity, and the upfront capital required to de-risk and unlock more complex or marginal sites”.
The South Bank’s “new town” status will lead to the different parcels of land being considered together as part of a proper long-term plan.
As well as housing, the project also hopes to pump both private and public cash into transport links, GP surgeries, schools, and open green spaces in these new settlements.
The unit will work with leading architects to ensure the new towns have their own unique character and identity, intended to reflect their local area.
“It is essential that we recapture the spirit of the post war new towns, when this country led the way in terms of housebuilding to deliver high quality affordable homes and raise living standards,” the Government said.
More on UK towns
And the £450 million new town coming to UK with 4,500 homes, shops, parks, and sport pitches.
Plus, plans have been unveiled for 4,000 homes, new shops, and a hotel at a new £2.5 billion town located next to major motorway.
A popular English seaside town is set to get new “creative quarter” and beachfront cafe as part of a £22 million upgrade.
GettyThe Royal Armouries Museum will bookend the regeneration work set for the South Bank area along the River Aire (stock image)[/caption]
AlamyThe historic Temple Works in Holbeck will mark the opposite end of the area set for the new development (stock image)[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
