12th October 2017, Vastint, the international developer behind the regeneration of the former Tetley Brewery site off Hunslet Road in Leeds, has taken a significant step towards becoming a reality.
Leeds City Council approved the scheme on 12 October, ‘deferring and delegating’ sign off to the Chief Planning Officer once some details are resolved.
The design is for a vibrant, mixed-use, park-side neighbourhood at the heart of the South Bank with a generously-sized urban park at its heart. The aim is to support the expansion of the city core, providing a vital link connecting the city centre with the Tetley and its creative neighbours, through to the education district and to the communities to the south.
A major inspiration for the design was Leeds City Council’s vision to inject new life into this part of the city centre, with particular emphasis on a new park as the catalyst for transforming the area, as detailed in the “South Bank Planning Statement” (2011) and, more recently, in the “South Bank Framework Plan” (2016).
Andrew Cobden, Vastint UK Services’ Managing Director said: “We’re delighted to have worked so closely with the City Council to crystallise our combined vision for the site and are keen to be able to press on with the next phase of design work. We’re confident that the proposed development of this historic part of Leeds will bring forward huge benefits to the area and create a bustling hub of activity.
“It has been less than two years since we bought the land and in that time we’ve been shaping a careful and considered masterplan that reflects the wishes of the council, other statutory stakeholders, the existing community, and local businesses. It will provide the South Bank neighbourhood a balance of living and working spaces, with all the activities to help it thrive and flourish, from homes, offices and hotels to retail and leisure facilities. Almost a third of the site will be a thoughtfully designed city park created for a diversity of uses.
“We have been impressed with how the Council have embraced the regeneration of this large-scale, complex project and how hard they have worked with us to balance the needs of the local economy, the community and to prioritise placemaking.”
James McKenna, chairman of the panel, told the meeting the application was one of “the most exciting I can remember”. He said: “It is a very, very big application. It is going to bring credit to the city and put us on the map.”