Longstanding plans to regenerate an area central to Leeds’ industrial heritage have taken a major step forward after construction giant Carillion submitted a planning application with the aim of getting the £80m project underway early in 2016.
Tower Works is located to the north of Globe Road on the south side of Leeds city centre, within the Holbeck area. Originally established as a pin factory for the textile industry in the 1860s, the works, which closed in 1981, have long been earmarked for regeneration.
Home to the historic Engine House and three striking Italianate towers, it is a key site in the city's 336-acre South Bank development – one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe which also covers the old Tetley Brewery and Allied London's Leeds Dock mixed-use scheme.
Several permissions have been granted for the redevelopment of Tower Works, but only the first phase, involving buildings fronting the central part of Globe Road, was completed in 2011/12 and is occupied by 20 small businesses.
Earlier this year, Carillion was appointed by the Homes & Communities Agency as its preferred development partner and has now submitted detailed plans for the site ahead of a potential start early in 2016. The scheme is scheduled to be carried out in three phases.
Included within the plans are: a residential development of 158 units, ranging from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom townhouses; 128,000 sq ft of office space and retail space of up to 4,000 sq ft. At ground level, adjacent to public routes, shops, restaurants and cafes and drinking establishments will occupy a further 16,000 sq ft.
The grade II-listed Engine House will be conserved and reused as the centrepiece of the development. A mixed-use leisure facility under a single operator is proposed, incorporating an art house cinema, microbrewery, bar and restaurant.
High quality public realm is also said to have been a “key design driver”, with nearly half the site area given over to pedestrian space. A large open public piazza which aims to "respond" to the Engine House, the Giotto Tower and the Verona Tower will be located at the heart of the development, supplemented by other interconnected public spaces around the development.
Initial plans for the scheme were scrutinised by the council’s planning committee in the summer when members were said to be “highly complementary” about the contextual approach adopted in the design and the character of the development. The contemporary use of local, traditional materials within a 19th century context was also applauded.
A number of concerns were also raised, however, including the overbearing nature of the proposals against the grade II-listed Globe Quay building fronting the canal and the proximity of the proposed massing against the site’s listed buildings, in particular the Verona Tower.
The relationship with the neighbouring Granary Wharf car park site and the developments proposed for that location was another concern raised.
According to documents now filed, the development team believe these concerns have been addressed while the response to a public consultation has also been positive.
As well as Tower Works, other South Bank projects in the works include the redevelopment of the former Tetley’s Brewery site, the creation of a £50m trenchcoat factory for luxury fashion brand Burberry and the soon-to-be-completed southern entrance to Leeds train station.