Plans for Yorkshire Bank HQ redevelopment have “great potential”, claim council chiefs

Plans emerged last week, showing the authority wanted to swap one of its own sites for half of the Yorkshire Bank building, in anticipation of the area being redeveloped in the coming years.

The document, which was discussed this week by the council’s executive board, suggested that while the bank held a lease on the building until 2025, beyond that its future uses could include a “conference / banqueting / indoor sports type venue”.

Speaking at the meeting, council deputy leader James Lewis said: “This would be done at no net loss to the council and would let us work with future owners of the Yorkshire Bank building to bring it forward for more complimentary uses for the arena.

“The potential is great here, even though the proposal is a straightforward land swap.”

The authority owns the two grassed areas between Clay Pit Lane and Leeds Arena, known as Site A and Site B – which had originally been earmarked for “complementary leisure uses” to the arena.

The adjacent Yorkshire Bank building site is split into two, known as Site C and Site D, and is in the process of being bought by a third-party who, the council claims, intended to redevelop the site for student housing once the building becomes vacant – which might not be until 2025.

To help solve this, Leeds City Council now plans to swap Site A for Site C, meaning the local authority would in effect own half of the Yorkshire Bank site, while the third party could theoretically start work on development sooner on an already-empty site.

Leader of the council’s opposition Conservatives group Andrew Carter said the swap should not be done at the expense of the council’s control over what is built on Site A.

He said: “I understand the rationale of merging sites B and C because they make a more compact and useful development plot.

“We must not lose site of the fact that plot A is in an extremely influential position in terms of the arena. I don’t want to see us lose total control of site A and what will go on it.

“Plot A needs to be complimentary to the arena in some way. I want significant reassurance on that.”

The board agreed to the plans.