£150m redevelopment of Leeds’ Quarry Hill scheme gets greenlight

Caddick Developments has been given outline planning permission for its £150m 685,000 sq ft Quarry Hill scheme.

Quarry Hill, which is adjacent to West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds College of Music, BBC studios, Northern Ballet Headquarters and opposite the new Victoria Gate scheme, looks set to be another key development in the regeneration of Leeds City Centre’s Cultural Quarter.

The proposal includes 106,000sq ft of offices, 35,000sq ft leisure, in excess of 700 residential units, a multi-storey car park, 7,500sq ft retail facilities, a medical centre and a series of vibrant public squares.

Caddick Developments was chosen as the preferred developer in 2002 and the scheme was approved in principal in 2005. In developing the updated proposals, Caddick has worked closely with Leeds City Council and its Design Advisory Group to ensure the plans are in line with current planning policy.

Sarah Friskney, senior development surveyor at Caddick Developments, said: “We’re obviously very pleased that our scheme has received such a positive and unanimous response from the planning committee and we have the go-ahead to progress with our plans.

“Throughout the planning process we took every step to engage with the local community, and importantly with our neighbours and stakeholders, to ensure we presented the best scheme to transform this site. Our focus now will be on working up detailed plans and build momentum to set us on the right path to deliver our vision for Quarry Hill.

“A key focus of our design was to improve the public realm and strengthen the Cultural Quarter of Leeds City Centre to complement the existing community at Quarry Hill. Therefore a series of linked public spaces between the buildings will frame a variety of views plus the main boulevard encourages pedestrian flow connecting Quarry Hill with the city centre and the city beyond.”

Robin Hawkes, executive director of West Yorkshire Playhouse, added: “The Playhouse is enthusiastic about the potential for the Caddick scheme to help bring revitalisation to the Quarry Hill area, and complement Victoria Gate in establishing the eastward extension of Leeds city-centre. We look forward to working with them as our new neighbours – particularly as we begin to plan our own redevelopment project.”

This is one of two major development sites Caddick Developments is involved in, in Leeds City Centre.

At the end of 2014, it purchased City One, a 9.5 acre site which sits prominently in the south of the city on one of the main routes into the centre.

The site has existing outline planning consent for a mixed-use development including office space, residential, multi storey car park and leisure accommodation.

Plans for City One are currently being worked on. Johnny Caddick, director of Caddick Developments, also commented: “Leeds is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and we’re really pleased that Caddick can play its part in its regeneration, which will have a positive impact on the whole of the city.”