Work starts on £57m new homes scheme at historic Tower Works site in Leeds

Building company Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd has started ground works at the site on Globe Road in the South Bank area of Leeds city centre.

Up to 275 local jobs are expected to be created during construction work at the site, which is scheduled to be finished in early 2023.

There will be two new residential buildings with one, two and three-bedroom built to rent apartments and duplexes.

Three new public squares are planned around each of the site’s iconic chimneys.

The scheme also includes a pedestrian route to connect communities in Holbeck and Beeston Hill with Leeds city centre.

The scheme is being delivered by Richardson and Ask Real Estate in conjunction with Homes England and with funding from Legal & General’s Build to Rent Fund and Access Development Partnership.

Ben Holmes, Real Estate director at Richardson, said: “We are pleased to be on site and looking forward to making swift progress in delivering these superb new homes and at the same time writing the next chapter in the history of Tower Works.

"The site’s three landmark towers, Giotto, Verona and Little Chimney are very much part of the Leeds skyline and they form a unique focal point for the scheme, being pretty much the first thing you see as you enter the city by train.

"Richardson and Ask are really proud to be regenerating this great location and in doing so creating new homes and public open spaces, delivering a bright new future for these superb Grade II listed structures.”

Mark Gibson, managing director at Sir Robert McAlpine for UK North, said: “It is great to see this superb historic site move forward to deliver much needed housing for the Leeds city centre.

"We are already involved in the regeneration of the South Bank area of the city centre so moving forward with Tower Works means we will be able to continue to provide jobs for the skilled local workforce.”

John Hughes, managing director of Ask Real Estate, said: “This is an especially important scheme for Ask as we have been delivering regeneration projects for twenty years, working right across the northern belt from Gateshead to Manchester. We are proud to be continuing our track record of delivering creative and bold regeneration solutions such as Tower Works.”

Jon Irvine, director of development from Homes England, said: “The development of Homes England’s Tower Works site is an important step in realising Leeds City Council’s vision for the South Bank.

"We are working with the city council to try to unlock a number of sites in the city centre of Leeds, and we hope this is the first of many sites in the city centre that we can support to deliver new homes.

"Our work in Leeds is part of a broader effort working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to unlock housing growth opportunities across the city region.”

Tower Works has a rich industrial history. Established in the 1860s as a steel pin factory for carding and combing in the textile industry, the works closed in 1981 and have been earmarked for regeneration for many years.

The original Victorian buildings, designed by Thomas Shaw, are famous for their Italianate influence which is most obvious in the three prominent towers.