[LS6]

Also bare in mind this is a pre-app, not a full planning app, appearances may well be changed.

 

[Rob]

I never got the 'fridge' comments other than a dig at tall buildings in general. But considering every major city on the planet has tall buildings, I don't get that either.

 

[tigerman]

I never got the 'fridge' comments other than a dig at tall buildings in general. But considering every major city on the planet has tall buildings, I don't get that either.

Well said Rob. I was close to having a rant about this but lifes too short. I agree with you completely though other than being white none of these buildings have any relation to fridges at all in any way. Also why are white buildings in Leeds fridges but not any in other cities? Its utter nonsense.

 

[leeds_lad]

Oliver Wainwright is responsible, I blame him, lol. There was an article in the Guardian months ago and he said that Leeds buildings look like discarded fridges, obviously having dig at our new comers, especially Altus!

 

[leedsT]

Oliver Wainwright is responsible, I blame him, lol. There was an article in the Guardian months ago and he said that Leeds buildings look like discarded fridges, obviously having dig at our new comers, especially Altus!

He had a point when we had the plastic fantastic Opel and Sky Plaza dominating the skyline, that's quickly changing fortunately.

 

[leeds_lad]

It was a complete non story, you don’t have to look far to find ‘discarded’ fridges, every major city has its fair share.

 

[di Livio]

It should be a cause for concern if every new proposal resembles the Headline and White Rose View. Birmingham developed its reputation as an 'ugly' city in the 1960s with a collection of low quality tall buildings.

 

[PeterfromNorth]

It should be a cause for concern if every new proposal resembles the Headline and White Rose View. Birmingham developed its reputation as an 'ugly' city in the 1960s with a collection of low quality tall buildings.

Not all cities have to be instantly beautiful when they have their first skyscraper boom. You only need to look at the first skyscrapers in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore to learn that all cities need to start somewhere.

Where this country went wrong (Birmingham especially), is they built horrid tall buildings and then used the lack of beauty to stop building talls altogether. The result was Soviet skylines and urban sprawl. The reality is we all spoke of Opals horrific design and now its barely noticeable. In 10 years when we start to regularly get 40/50 proposals, sites like this will be hidden in plain sight imo.

 

[LeedsLad]

You'll find most skyscrapers world wide aren't that beautiful... There are few exceptions... The beauty comes when they form clusters. The problem comes when they are built standing alone, like a sore thumb.

For me Opal has been vastly improved (from awful to quite bad) simply by having tall neighbours. You view it as a part of the cluster, rather than examine it as one building.

 

[Smugg]

You'll find most skyscrapers world wide aren't that beautiful... There are few exceptions... The beauty comes when they form clusters. The problem comes when they are built standing alone, like a sore thumb.

For me Opal has been vastly improved (from awful to quite bad) simply by having tall neighbours. You view it as a part of the cluster, rather than examine it as one building.

Bridgewater place is beautiful, and that stands by itself, like a sore thumb.

 

[Criterion Place..?]

It’s not necessarily the white, it’s the buildings themselves. It’s just not good enough after all this time. There’s few key sites in city centre that have opportunity to have something original or iconic that can be associated with leeds. Yorkshire post site failed n now this...

 

[di Livio]

It’s not necessarily the white, it’s the buildings themselves. It’s just not good enough after all this time. There’s few key sites in city centre that have opportunity to have something original or iconic that can be associated with leeds. Yorkshire post site failed n now this...

Strenegly enough, Criterion Place was touted as a 'key development' site promising several iconic designs. What we got instead was a boring retail park aesthetic and several forgettable buildings. The Leonardo building and environs looks like the next site to suffer this strategic failure on the part of the council.

 

[Shitwisugaron]

Strenegly enough, Criterion Place was touted as a 'key development' site promising several iconic designs. What we got instead was a boring retail park aesthetic and several forgettable buildings. The Leonardo building and environs looks like the next site to suffer this strategic failure on the part of the council.

The trouble is, if the council reject everything that isn't top notch then people will be asking why nothing ever gets built in Leeds so they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. You do bring up valid arguments though IMHO.

 

[Aaronj09]

If we're waiting for every development in Leeds to be 'iconic' then quite frankly these plots of land are going to remain undeveloped for years and years. No developer is going to build anything like Criterion Place in Leeds in the foreseeable future.

Honestly, I'd be a happy man if I never saw or heard the word 'iconic' again. Utterly meaningless word.

 

[FesLerdinand]

Standard Leeds mentality. Simultaneously having incredibly high expectations about what "should" be happening in the city, and then a kind of self-loathing when those unrealistic expectations aren't realised.

It's a snowball effect. The city needs to grow in size and profile, which includes a lot of "only okay" development, before it gets to the position where genuinely impressive developments can occur.

 

[Skychaser 2005]

Don't forget, we have a real game changer being built now with Merrion St tower...that for me is a big leap forward with a glass tower 100m tall, and more will come I am sure, possibly on the back of this one being built

 

[Rob]

Well, the Pre-app meeting was interesting, DLA and a representative of the developer was in attendance to address the presentation. To be fair, the panel raised some reasonable points and seemed fairly balanced overall (with one or two exceptions), I think they are learning and evolving, perhaps listening to external commentators

The main points:

• The panel was generally in favour of the scheme, and in acceptance of the mix of uses and the general massing of the scheme
• They had issues with the layout of the public outdoor space (which makes up 55% of the overall area), in particular the access through the site to link with the footbridge, and the pathway that runs alongside the A58M
• The architect stated they are working up the documents for a full planning application to be lodged in the next few weeks, with the aim to gain full approval by late summer, in order to start phase 1 this autumn, although they did state this was perhaps an optimistic outlook, but are wanting to start as soon as they can
• Phase 1 would include everything apart from the office building (the office plot would constitute the site compound area during the phase 1 build period)
• In addition, the developer stated they had operators lined up for the BTR, the Aparthotel and the Student accommodation (everything but the office)

Council and democracy

democracy.leeds.gov.uk

 

[redrez]

Sounds like they might have contractor lined up for the project.

 

[tomleeds]

Well, the Pre-app meeting was interesting, DLA and a representative of the developer was in attendance to address the presentation. To be fair, the panel raised some reasonable points and seemed fairly balanced overall (with one or two exceptions), I think they are learning and evolving, perhaps listening to external commentators

The main points:

• The panel was generally in favour of the scheme, and in acceptance of the mix of uses and the general massing of the scheme
• They had issues with the layout of the public outdoor space (which makes up 55% of the overall area), in particular the access through the site to link with the footbridge, and the pathway that runs alongside the A58M
• The architect stated they are working up the documents for a full planning application to be lodged in the next few weeks, with the aim to gain full approval by late summer, in order to start phase 1 this autumn, although they did state this was perhaps an optimistic outlook, but are wanting to start as soon as they can
• Phase 1 would include everything apart from the office building (the office plot would constitute the site compound area during the phase 1 build period)
• In addition, the developer stated they had operators lined up for the BTR, the Aparthotel and the Student accommodation (everything but the office)

Council and democracy

democracy.leeds.gov.uk

Amazing news!

 

[Leeds No.1]

If the operators are in place and the money's there to be made... then that's great news. I don't want to curse it by suggesting anything too positive though.