Leeds - changing for the better? | | Leeds - who wins and loses in the regeneration game? |
Leeds is changing fast but is it changing for the better? Everywhere you look, there's cranes and building work going on as massive new investment pours into the city centre. But is Leeds missing the opportunity to create a truly great city? Inside Out asked leading UK architect Maxwell Hutchinson to take a critical look at Leeds' plans for the future. The sky's the limit?Leeds is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, and its skyline is changing daily, but are its regeneration plans as cutting edge as Birmingham, Barcelona and Bilbao? Britain's top architectural critic, Maxwell Hutchinson, has warned the city fathers that they could be building the slums of tomorrow. In a critical attack Hutchinson says that the city is making many of the mistakes first made in London's Docklands 20 years ago. Five billion pounds of high-rise development is currently underway in Leeds, much of it glitzy apartment blocks aimed at young professionals. "They're forgetting to build communities at the same time as putting up these great ugly blocks." | Maxwell Hutchinson |
But Hutchinson says that the boom is unsustainable, with signs that prices are already falling. He fears that some developments could end up like the notorious Quarry Hill Flats, demolished in the 1970s after becoming a byword for squalor. Hutchinson says that, "There are worrying signs that Yorkshire is about to make the same mistakes that we have made in London over 20 years ago". One of Maxwell's concerns is the lack of key services in city centre Leeds, such as doctors, dentists and schools. He says the city has let the market dictate development with the result that many residents are forced to drive out of town to find these vital services. Hutchinson believes that one of the problems that Leeds is storing up is not building city centre communities. Boring buildings? Maxwell isn't a fan of some of Leeds' new buildings either. He calls the Clarence Dock development a "mundane collection" of buildings and an "incredibly soulless place". "Leeds has a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a city centre".
Maxwell Hutchinson
 | | Making the same mistakes as London Docklands? |
Hutchinson believes that this opportunity is being missed. He found much of the area around the Canal Basin lonely with no sign of life even during the day. Hutchinson describes one prestigious development as "an undistinguished collection of buildings that look like they've been washed up by the river". He describes Clarence Dock as "an incredibly soulless place to live", adding: "Youll be able to lose your shirt here if the casino goes ahead or buy Bulgari in a boutique. But getting to know the people living next door to your hermetically sealed modern living space will be rather harder."
However, Hutchinson praises Leeds for some aspects of its inner city redevelopment, but says the city badly needs an iconic building like The Sage in Gateshead or The Lowry in Salford. He adds: "Credit where its due, Leeds has done a terrific job adapting old buildings the area around The Calls could compete with anywhere in Europe for the quality and sensitivity of its design. "In my view, theres simply no excuse for new buildings not to match the gems which share the skyline."
A city for the people?Inside Out reveals that in many developments only five per cent of flats are owner-occupied. They are owned by speculative landlords in Dublin, Dubai and Australia who gamble on a profit from well-paid tenants working in financial services. With such a large proportion of properties in the buy-to-let sector, he believes it means "the centre of Leeds no longer belongs to the people who live in Leeds". Maxwell Hutchinson believes that: "... in two or three decades these shiny new buildings will be following Quarry Hill down the spiral of decay."
 | | Leeds - lacks an iconic building like The Sage Gateshead |
The programme also reveals that some inner city residents are quitting for the suburbs after finding apartment life is not for them. Inside Out speaks to one businessman Jon who believes that many developments could be frightening places to live in few years time. He says he quit for leafy Wakefield after failing to get to know his neighbours, even in year living on the banks of the Aire. He claims that most of the tenants went "home" at weekends, leaving the areas deserted. What do you think?Is Leeds city centre changing for the better?
What do you think of the latest buildings - marvellous or mediocre? And if you live in the city, we want your views about the lack of services and its sense of community.
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Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday September 18, 2006
