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Leeds v Sheffield arena row erupts
A row has broken out over Yorkshire Forward's support for the new concert arena planned for Leeds.
City council bosses want the Government-backed regional development agency to foot part of the multi-million pound bill for the 12,500-seater complex. But that prospect has been greeted with dismay by politicians in Sheffield, who fear the facility could damage trade at their city's existing arena.
They claim it would be inappropriate for Yorkshire Forward to invest public funds in a project that favours one part of the county over another, as its brief is to improve the economy of the Broad Acres as a whole.
WILL AN ARENA IN LEEDS HARM SHEFFIELD? HAVE YOUR SAY BY CLICKING HERE - WE'LL PUBLISH THE LOT
Sheffield MP Clive Betts (Lab, Attercliffe) is now ready to lobby the agency against ploughing money into the Leeds scheme.
He said: "There is no justification for it and I'll be asking Yorkshire Forward to think through what they are doing."
Yorkshire Forward said it was confident the Leeds proposals WOULD benefit the region as a whole.
It also stressed that although it backed the arena "in principle," it had yet to decide whether to invest in the project. A spokeswoman said it hoped to make a decision early next year on what, if any, financial support to offer.
Council bosses in Leeds announced earlier this month that their preferred location for the arena was Clay Pit Lane, on the northern outskirts of the city centre.
The local authority also revealed it intended to build the complex itself, rather than use a private developer.
It says taking direct charge of the job should help it ensure the public sector contribution to the scheme does not rise above 30m.
Senior council sources have previously said they are "hopeful" that Yorkshire Forward will come up with a significant chunk of the public cash needed for the project. It was not clear how the scheme would go forward if the Leeds-based agency decided against investing.
Leeds is the only major northern city not to have an arena.
Experts say plugging that gap would create more than 300 jobs and generate 28m a year for the local economy.
Sheffield Arena was built in the early 1990s with Sheffield City Council cash but is now privately run. Up to 40 per cent of the people who use it are thought to come from the Leeds catchment area.
paul.robinsons@ypn.co.uk
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Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
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