First look at new Leeds city centre park set to open next month

It comes as a new virtual video, depicting how the park could look in the future, is released to the public.

Aire Park, described as the "largest new city centre green space in the UK", will be made up of different public areas stretching across eight acres of land alongside Meadow Lane, and around the former Tetley's Brewery site.

The green space will sit at the heart of a new development which will also provide homes, offices and retail space.

It comes at the same time as developers have begun construction work on the five-acre section of Aire Park stretching east towards Crown Point Road. This phase of construction includes a large public events space and commercial buildings, both of which are expected to open in 2023.

These sustainable and people-focused infrastructure initiatives will, it is hoped, power Leeds’s post-pandemic economic recovery by attracting even more of the kind of investment that helps deliver jobs, homes and quality spaces where everyone can meet and connect.

Leeds City Council leader James Lewis and the authority's portfolio holder for infrastructure Helen Hayden, paid a visit to the Aire Park site to see the progress being made on the project. Also in attendance were Simon Schofield, construction lead for Vastint UK North, and Sisk managing director Dominic Hodges..

Starting out from Sovereign Square and its existing green space, the video heads south-east via the new David Oluwale Bridge, which is due to be moved into position over the River Aire at the end of March.

Work is also due to take place on Crown Point Road, where work is due to start at the end of March on changes – such as a new cycleway, wider footpaths and green landscaping – that will make the route more suitable for active travel. The road will remain open to traffic, but is being reduced from two lanes to one.

A further phase of Aire Park will, subject to the future award of planning permission to Vastint UK, eventually take shape on the other side of Crown Point Road.

Coun Lewis said: “Aire Park will have a transformational effect on life in Leeds and it’s great to see how the plans are coming together thanks to significant investment by Vastint UK and help from other partners and stakeholders.

“Projects like this are testament to the strength of Leeds’s economy, as are the city’s recent record-breaking construction figures and investment successes such as the opening of the UK Infrastructure Bank, the arrival of Channel 4 and the new Leeds-based hub being planned by the Bank of England.

“The park will be a fantastic year-round attraction for people of all ages to enjoy and underlines our collective commitment to creating places and spaces that bring all our people together.

“Crucially, it should also act as an environmentally-friendly driver for regeneration and inclusive growth – and new homes, jobs and opportunities – as our economy bounces back from the effects of the pandemic.

“By creating public spaces that are greener and better connected, we want to make Leeds a magnet for investment and business activity that will turbocharge the city’s already impressive momentum and provide a wellbeing benefit that everyone who lives here can share in."