Towns, villages and district centres across Leeds play an important role in the life of local communities.
They provide a focus for commercial activity and local services. Many contain important historic buildings that form an important part of an area’s character and identity.
New Briggate High Street Heritage Action Zone
The New Briggate High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) is delivering a heritage-led regeneration of New Briggate through the use of government-funded grants for repair and improvement work to buildings and public spaces.
Town and district centres regeneration scheme
The scheme is designed to improve public spaces and publicly owned property, in turn bringing increased business and investor confidence. This creates an improved shopping environment for local people and encouraging further regeneration.
Supported by investment by the council totalling £10.3 million, the first phase of projects attracted external funding of £6.36 million and delivered improvements to town and district centres across Leeds.
A second phase of projects is now being developed to improve and regenerate the Dewsbury Road corridor, Harehills Lane corridor and the area around Kirkstall Leisure Centre.
Townscape Heritage Initiative
The Townscape Heritage Initiative is a separate programme focused on restoring historic buildings in disadvantaged and neglected areas of the city.
It involves a combination of funding from the council and the Heritage Lottery Fund, providing support to property owners to restore frontages and bring vacant buildings back into use.
The Armley grant scheme was concluded in September 2016 and the Chapeltown scheme was completed in late 2017. The first scheme at the Lower Kirkgate scheme has been established and more schemes are planned for completion in the future.
Armley townscape heritage initiative
The scheme was launched in April 2009 and, with completion of 2 Branch Road, formerly Mike’s Carpets, concluded in September 2016.
A total investment of £2.4m delivered the key project at Mike’s Carpets, 22 target property schemes along Branch Road and Town Street and supported the natural Yorkstone footpath scheme along the central retail zone of Town Street.
Chapeltown townscape heritage initiative
Chapeltown THI is helping to preserve and enhance historic properties within the Chapeltown conservation area.
To date, it has delivered improvements to 14 commercial properties and has attracted £1.6 million funding to the area. Building owners and tenants can apply for grants, available to help repair buildings and to replace or restore missing historic detail such as shop fronts and sash windows. Chapeltown heritage advisory group meets to oversee progress of the initiative and discuss conservation issues in the area.
Lower Kirkgate townscape heritage initiative
Kirkgate is thought to be the oldest street in Leeds and Lower Kirkgate THI is helping to protect and restore the character of buildings in this part of the city centre.
Grant funding and private sector contributions could see up to £2.6 million invested in repair, reinstatement and conservation of historic buildings such as the first White Cloth Hall. This Grade II listed building played an important part in the development of the textile trade in Leeds. Built with donations from merchants and tradesmen, it opened in 1711 as an exchange for buying and selling of white, undyed cloth.
Other buildings in Lower Kirkgate will see repairs to shopfronts, windows and other elements in order to bring them back into use. The quality of the public realm will also be improved through using traditional building materials and techniques. A regular newsletter is available providing updates on progress of the initiative. A stakeholder group meets regularly to discuss and review issues relevant to the project.
