Leeds Council has signed off a city centre planning agreement on a £350 million mixed-use development on the six acre site in the heart of the South Bank. Work is set to begin next month and it involves demolishing the former warehouse on Water Lane and preparing the site for development. A programme of archaeological excavation will uncover whatever remains on the site.

CEG has already invested £300,000 into securing the Grade II listed bridge which formed a historic route for the Marshall empire and will once again form a physical link over Holbeck, connecting Water Lane and Marshall Street to the new development at Globe Road.

“Our proposals for South Bank bring together the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Leeds; the home of Marshall’s first two Mills, as well as the Marshalls’ last, and greatest creation, Temple Works. This is an exceptional opportunity to breathe life back into these, creating locally and nationally important iconic landmark buildings and innovative public spaces. This is not just about building on a historic legacy; it is about creating a new one,” said Jon Kenny, strategic development director at CEG.

CEG’s South Bank development has received detailed planning permission for two office development with ground floor retail and leisure, totalling up to 26,100 sq m and outline planning permission for mixed-use development of up to 103,900 sq m of offices, retail, leisure, hotel, health, education and community uses, parking and up to 750 new homes, along with new public spaces and landscaping.

“Many years of hard work are being realised as we launch to market an exceptional opportunity for the highest quality office developments just minutes from Leeds City Station. This, along with the retail, leisure, hotel, residential and community uses, benefitting from innovative outdoor spaces and the waterfront, will bring a strategic development of a critical mass and international standard, putting South Bank Leeds on the map as a place to live, work and enjoy,” explained David Hodgson, head of strategic development north for CEG.

Overall, the wider South Bank regeneration area covers 253 hectares south of the River Aire in Leeds and it is set to double the size of Leeds City Centre, providing more than 35,000 jobs and 8,000 homes – making it one of the largest City Centre regeneration initiatives in Europe.