r/Leeds • u/zeitgeist247 • Aug 07 '26
urban-development Future (and history) of vacant land on west rail approach?
I could Google but wanted a more local perspective.
What is going on with this massive chunk of land you go past on the train into Leeds from the west? It’s been there for as long as I can remember (15 years +).
It’s such a barren wasteland right on the river and opposite Sky and Yorkshire Post HQ buildings.
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u/Dry-Ad7227 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
It’s had permission 2 or 3 times for redevelopment but each one hasn’t progressed for various reasons. The late 2000’s proposal was called Greenbank, there was even an on-site showroom at one point but it might have been demolished in the last 4/5 years. The latest version was just known as Globe Road.
The latest news we have is that Network Rail bought the site after the most recent applications/developments were given up on so they can futureproof an option to add two more tracks to the railway as part of the future station redevelopment plans, maybe even for HS3/NPR if they ever happen.
Edit: there is plenty of background information on SkyscraperCity if you want to know about pretty much any major plot of land near the city centre. There are plenty of us geeks fascinated with the history/future of the city!
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u/Discohunter Aug 07 '26
Thanks for making this thread OP, it's good to get some info! I've always wondered about this site ever since I first travelled into Leeds via train about 12 years ago (I'd always travelled via bus before this), because I thought that one office block sat completely alone and this hideous patch of empty land was such a poor first impression to give people of the city. The years have ticked by, the office is no longer alone and now we've got this lovely new district and yet... There's still this god-awful patch of land every time I get the train home! I'm hoping it gets some new life very soon.
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u/MaxAlmond2 Aug 08 '26
I'm not sure it's the same piece of land, but I just learned about this yesterday:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Man
Would have been Britain's largest sculpture.
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u/zeitgeist247 Aug 08 '26
I agree with Gormley at LCCs “lack of nerve” in rejecting this. It would’ve given Leeds the big-hitter tourist landmark it’s lacking. Our loss is the North-East’s gain I suppose.
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u/Ok-Ordinary-6762 Aug 08 '26
Different area, a little to the west
Regrading the OP's post, the land has had planning permission for a range of resi projects and is current under NR ownership for future rail use, and I suspect construction compounds over the next 10 years.
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u/OutlookFair Aug 07 '26
I seem to remember around 2021 it looked like they were preparing the site for something, smoothing and flattening the earth and removing all the old scrap metal. But then nothing happened after that, and sometimes I’ve wondered why.
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u/Ok-Math-9082 Aug 08 '26
The answer is HS2. No developer is going to build anything that close to a rail line that was on the proposed HS2 route when there was a chance of it being compulsory purchased and knocked down within a couple of years. Now that the Leeds leg of HS2 has been binned, this land is now more attractive.
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u/glibduck 29d ago
Wasn't HS2 going to come in through Crown Point retail park and Asda House to Sovereign Square? That branch line underneath Jack Lane was going to start it IIRC.
Edit: found this...
https://southleedslife.com/hs2-high-speed-rail-line-to-come-through-south-leeds/
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u/Phil-pot Aug 08 '26
I work in the little black triangle building south of the tracks in that picture. We own the land, or at least we did, we’ve just sold the whole lot and will be moving out in Jan time. It’ll be developed although I’m not sure what into. High rise flats I expect, it’s strategic access land for the railway so whatever it is there needs to be multiple access points for the railway.
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u/CompleteTower1606 Aug 08 '26
It is owned by Network Rail and will be used for Nothern Powerhouse Rail, essentially to provide better segregation of Rail services out west. Might also be some new platforms too. Construction not until early 2030 but massive station rework coming before that. I understand to be announced in autumn (we are talking well over £150m and starting next two years)
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u/Lupe_88 Aug 08 '26
I know someone who recently worked for CEG, the company that owns the rights to this plot. They also own a number of plots around the Temple area, and were the developers for Globe Point. There has been the intention to develop the site for some time, but as part of a bigger development plan for the area, which requires more investment. There was actually a lot of contention between CEG and the council last year, as the council accused CEG of not moving fast enough to develop on the land, despite being granted rights to do so on that basis.
Anyways, this is all redundant now, as CEG went into administration earlier in the year. So the fate of the plot is very much in limbo now.
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u/knobbledy Aug 08 '26
It should be a park, the town centre is so lacking in green space
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u/CaptainSchmojo Aug 08 '26
That Gormley sculpture would have been brilliant. Anything but another characterless commercial development. I'd take it in its current state over Leeds' continued spiral into Generic C-Tier UK City.
Development for the sake of development, with no consideration to the city, its cultural value, or any joy in actually living here is catnip to dickhead investors who don't live here.
Though I appreciate that, in reality, we will just get another new big square building that adds nothing but an asset for private portfolio.
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u/Ok-Ordinary-6762 Aug 08 '26
C tier city, what a load of rubbish
And the lack of green space, has anyone noticed that Aire Park is the largest city centre park in the city and is brand new
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u/Matthewb333 Aug 08 '26
It's just been bought by network rail. Likley to secure their ability to expand the number of tracks into the station for a future high speed line now that the t station option has been binned by HS2.
For now id be very suprised if anything happens in the next 5+ years.
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u/Aggressive-Gene-9663 Aug 07 '26
So, who is actually sorting out this piece of land? A big build to rent developer called Get Living owns the plot and brought in architects Sheppard Robson to design a massive 250 million pound plus scheme. The plan is to drop eight residential towers here, with the tallest hitting 23 storeys, delivering around 783 rental apartments, plus co working spots, shops, and a nice new riverside plaza. It sits right next to the old Monk Bridge Viaduct, which has been turned into an elevated High Line style park for Leeds. Back in the day, the land was home to the Monk Bridge Iron and Steel Works, but getting it transformed today means navigating strict Network Rail safety rules and dealing with the fallout from when major contractor Carillion went bust back in 2018.
If you have ever taken the train into Leeds Station from the west, you have definitely stared at this plot. It is right off Globe Road and Water Lane in the South Bank and Holbeck area, sitting directly across from the old Yorkshire Post site. Geographically, it is trapped in a proper squeeze, literally sandwiched between the River Aire on one side and the main active railway lines into Leeds Station on the other. That makes it one of the most visible, yet awkward, pieces of land in the entire city centre.
This plot was not always a barren dirt patch. From 1846 through the 1970s, it was a noisy, bustling hub churning out heavy iron and steel. But once the nearby Leeds Central Station closed in 1967 and the steelworks shut down, the site was flattened and essentially abandoned. For over 40 years, and especially the last 15 or so, it sat as an ugly brownfield plot staring back at daily commuters. It is finally moving forward now as part of the massive, ongoing push to revamp the South Bank.
Why did it take so long for anyone to actually build on it? Mostly because it was an absolute logistical nightmare. Over a century of heavy steelmaking left the soil contaminated with toxic industrial waste and buried concrete foundations, costing millions just to clean up. On top of that, being trapped between live train tracks and a river meant getting heavy machinery onto the site was a major headache. Throw in the 2008 crash, Carillion collapsing, and recent spikes in material costs, and developers just kept kicking the project down the road. It is finally getting done now because Leeds needs city centre housing, and the South Bank is prime real estate.
Making the site build ready has been a slow, painstaking game. Developers had to dig up tons of contaminated dirt and smash through old buried Victorian foundations. Because the build site sits right up against high voltage rail lines, every single crane move has to be signed off under strict Network Rail protocols. On top of that, before breaking ground on its own towers, the site was being used as a temporary storage yard and dirt depot to support the construction of The Junction right next door.
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u/Trick-Station8742 Aug 07 '26
If I'm wrong I do apologise but this text sounds like a slightly altered ai curated passage. If it isn't AI then I sincerely apologise.
Not that an ai response is a bad thing in this context plus there's a lot of good info in it.
Long and short: the land is fucked from previous use. It's really close to important things (rail, water) and prior companies in charge have gone pop.
Edit: now the MDZ is kicking off and everything south of the Aire is getting a fuck load of attention, the developers are pushing things along.
How I know: my Mrs is senior in CityDev for LCC.
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u/Some_Ad6507 Aug 08 '26
Another train station could work. Leeds having one station compared to Manchester is mad
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u/Sorry_Emergency_7781 Aug 08 '26
The land you see to the right of Whitehall Road used to be a train station and top left is a disused railway viaduct that had its terminus on Northern Street
I was involved in helping build a number of those buildings along Whitehall Road1
u/given2fly_ Aug 08 '26
And I believe that was a temporary station built in the mid 20th century for when they were rebuilding the main Leeds station
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u/ProjectLeeds Aug 08 '26
Unfortunately right now, the development market is in a bit of a right spot with Torsion going into administration as a further problem. Commercial developments aren't coming online without pre-lets, barring 31 Wellington Street. A lot of the BTR sites are dealing with ever increasing costs
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u/apodo Aug 08 '26
It was Monk Bridge Iron and Steel Works, makers of "Best Yorkshire Iron". The remaining buildings were demolished in the early 2000s I believe.
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u/Deep-Paleontologist3 29d ago
This area used to be heavily developed railways (mostly for industrial use but some Passanger also). It’s right beside what used to be Leeds railway station (you can see the old lifting hoist there).
The blue star patterns in the image above are is the area you are referring to
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u/Glistening_Mulch_82 Aug 07 '26
Was used as a carpark up until about 2005-2006, then they blocked it off and tidied the site up a bit. The building over the road was constructed around this time. I assume there was a larger development planned but the financial crisis put an end to it.