The city centre has shifted drastically with the now sprawling Trinity Leeds shopping centre being dominant, alongside the new ultra-modern Victoria Gate complex, while the redevelopment of the Majestic by Channel 4 has transformed the City Square area.
New additions to the skyline have also shot up, with 2005's sprawling skyscraper Bridgewater Place being toppled from the top spot by 2020's Atlus House, a 37-storey building that is now the tallest building in Yorkshire.
And plans haven't stopped there. A major project from Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority plans to completely alter the area around Leeds Station, while work has begun on an ambitious project to build two new hospitals in a £650m scheme at Leeds General Infirmary and to build a £80m School of Arts building for Leeds Beckett University.
However, it is just not commercial buildings that are springing up on the skyline, there are also plans to redevelop and regenerate disused sites and older, historic buildings to create entirely new neighbourhoods and homes for people to live.
We have already seen new developments across the city, but here are 11 new ones set to change Leeds as we know it.
13. Former City Reach site in Kirkstall Road
Clarion Housing subsidiary Latimer purchased the former City Reach brownfield site back in 2020. The site was previously occupied by Yorkshire Chemical Works and First Bus Depot, both of which have now been demolished. The remainder of the site, which still includes commercial buildings, has been “vacant for some time” according to a report by Leeds City Council officers. Nestled in-between the busy Kirkstall Road corridor and the River Aire, the site offers 13 acres of land. Photo: Google
14. Former City Reach site in Kirkstall Road
Latimer plans to transform the site by building 1,437 new homes, 362 student rooms as well as “leisure, cultural and community floorspace”. The homes will consist of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and some townhouses, while Latimer also says it will create a riverside park. Plans submitted to Leeds Council in August 2021, stated that ground floor uses could include “a convenience store, food hall, commercial shed, café, work hubs, start-up spaces, cultural space, cycle hub, GP surgery, gym, community hall, concierge service, resident’s lounge and a parcel delivery hub”. The document also suggests 243 car parking spaces, 1,148 cycle parking spaces would also be included. The tallest buildings on the site are expected to reach about 15-17 storeys.
15. Climate Innovation District
The Climate Innovation District alongside the River Aire is one of the first developments of its kind. Focused on being as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as possible, the houses and apartments are built with sustainability in mind, all utilising solar panels and being made from timber frames to reduce carbon emissions. Built by Leeds-based developers Citu, the homes are are also engineered to retain heat in winter and remain cool in summer, meaning they can be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.
16. Climate Innovation District
The homes on Secret Garden and Solar Avenue are completed with families already moved in while work is underway to complete the Aire Loft apartments is underway. Aire Lofts will consist of 08 mainly one and two-bedroom apartments, with a handful of bespoke penthouses. Each apartment will feature concrete floors, exposed pipework, a Juliet balcony and have south-facing windows to maximise natural light. The homes are expected to be occupied from winter 2021 onwards.
17. Canal Mills
Canal Mills in Armley a former textile mill complex dating back to the 1800s, is set to be home for 148 new homes, after plans from Rhodes Asset Management were approved by the council. A report, written by council officers, granted the applicants full planning permission subject to conditions, including landscaping and car parking.
18. Canal Mills
According to a design and access statement submitted by the developers, the development would include 85 apartments, 46 of which would be one-bed, and 39 two-bed. It would also include 35 two-bed and 28 three-bed townhouses, as well as seven commercial spaces, likely to become shops. Mills on the site, which fed the city’s cotton and wool industry, date back to the 1800s. More recently, it was home to the Canal Mills nightclub venue. The venue closed its doors for a final time in 2019. Photo: CGI