City Buzz: Flurry of new Leeds restaurants could help revive city centre street

Whilst some people were in doubts about how it would impact the city, it’s great to see that some of the units being vacated are still being snapped up.

The news that the current Next Clearance site could become a new £8m restaurant hub is one of the biggest changes since Trinity Leeds arrived.

It’s no wonder then that a big marketing campaign has been on the go to make sure an opportunity this good doesn’t go to waste.

But despite reports of a comprehensive and ‘exhaustive’ marketing campaign, not one single retailer showed an interest in the site.

It’s certainly surprising, to say the least.

However, as soon as it became available for restaurant use, dozens of big names leapt at the chance – so much so that there is now a surplus of interested businesses vying for one of the five units.

There’s no denying that Trinity Leeds has led to the demise of Bond Street as a retail destination.

The shopping focus has shifted, becoming more concentrated towards Briggate and its surrounding streets and arcades – and this only looks set to grow when the Victoria Gate scheme opens later this year.

Instead, a clever change of tactic seems the perfect remedy, with the new restaurant hub offering healthy competition for nearby Trinity Kitchen and the string of other lunchtime offerings on the street and nearby Albion Place.

When Trinity Leeds came along, The Light shopping centre made the bold move to switch to an almost entirely leisure-led offering.

It was a risky move – but it seems to have paid off.

We predict that if the plans for the impressive new restaurant hub get the go ahead from Leeds City Council, the same will be said for Bond Street.