Leeds City Council says rail station gateway improvement costs increased by £10m due to 'inflation' and 'economic pressures'

The Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway Scheme was expected to cost £35.6m when funding was originally approved back in June this year.

However, Leeds City Council officers now say that, due to cost pressures and inflation, the total price for the works has now ballooned to just over £46m.

The work, which is expected to start in early 2023, will include the pedestrianisation of New Station Street, a new taxi rank in Bishopgate Street and the installation of two passenger lifts from Bishopgate Street to the station entrance.

Around £9.737m has already been spent on ongoing development works at Bishopgate East, Neville Street and Dark Neville Street ahead of the main construction programme.

That had left the remaining figure of just under £26m to be spent on the main works from early in 2023 – which was agreed upon by city decision-makers in June this year.

However, a report from Leeds City Council officers published this month stated: “On the 22nd June 2022, Executive Board approved the injection into the capital programme and authority to spend of £25.912M. Inflation and risk increases due to external economic pressures incurred over the last six months has increased this figure to £36,362.9m.”

The document added that the extra £10.451m of funding is expected to be approved by West Yorkshire Combined Authority next month. The funding from the project is set aside from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which granted West Yorkshire £317m to spend on transport and infrastructure projects.

Other parts of the scheme include environmental enhanced lighting, road surface and pavement treatments and urban art installations in Neville Street and Dark Neville Street.

New “high quality cycle infrastructure” will also be included on Neville Street, as well as improvements to cycling infrastructure in surrounding communities.

A high quality 700-space cycle hub with electric charging points at the station will also be created, as well as new commercial space nearby.

It is anticipated that the main construction works will start in January 2023 and complete in October 2025.