First look at new six-storey glass-fronted hotel featuring shops and a gym at Leeds’ Kirkgate Market

The major new development at Kirkgate Market has been proposed by Leeds City Council in an effort to regenerate the area.

It would stand on the George Street side of the Grade I listed market complex and has been designed to complement the district that is home to the Victoria Gate shopping centre and Leeds Playhouse. The proposed six-storey hotel is seen by the council as a way to boost footfall into the market, which it says has benefited from a multi-million pound investment programme.

Currently, the site is occupied by low-rise shops – but if a planning application is submitted for the 143-room hotel and subsequently approved, it could see a complete transformation of the street. The hotel itself would include commercial units and a council-operated gym on the ground floor, while a “glazed central block” would bring “an inviting and prominent entrance” to the new building.

On Thursday (June 22), the initial proposals are set to go before the council’s city plans panel. Subject to feedback from members, a full planning application is expected to be submitted next month.

Coun Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “The area around Leeds Kirkgate Market – and indeed the whole eastern side of the city centre – has undergone some massive and positive changes in recent years.

“The proposed hotel would add another vibrant piece to the jigsaw by contributing to the regeneration of George Street and acting as a visually-impressive linking point between Vicar Lane, the Eastgate roundabout and Quarry Hill. These plans also underline our commitment to the market and its future as a much-loved fixture on our retail scene that is now attracting more than 400,000 visitors a month.”

Other improvements to the market by the council include the creation of the Market Kitchen street food hall as part of a £14m refurb in 2016; an ongoing £10m project to repair the 1875 ‘blockshops’; and £1.4m of rent concessions to help traders cope during the pandemic.

The authority is also considering bringing a container-style food village to the market’s outdoor area.