The company behind the latest phase of the £400million Kirkstall Forge development has promised ‘a contemporary way of living, alongside a vibrant public square with places to shop, eat, drink and socialise’.
Leeds City Council granted planning permission for CEG’s detailed planning application for the first phase of 112 new family homes and 23,000 sqft of retail, leisure and community space set around a vibrant public square.
Designed by award-winning Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, developers say the contemporary homes are designed to resemble the local stone of the old forge building and Kirkstall Abbey.
James Shimwell, head of residential development at CEG, welcomed the decision. He said:
“This is great news; this next phase of development will deliver a residential product which is unique to the Leeds market.
“It will offer a contemporary way of living, alongside a vibrant public square with places to shop, eat, drink and socialise. We have worked extensively with Leeds City Council and our designers to produce a scheme that will deliver the highest quality of contemporary design.”
The new homes offer a selection of gardens and terraces on different floors, with private roof terraces for the apartments. Some of the larger family homes will also benefit from the historic Mill Race flowing through the end of the garden.
Garages for parking and storage lie beneath the buildings to enable pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined streets which offer seating and play space to encourage neighbourliness and interaction.
Riverside terraces create gently sloping streets and a central riverside boulevard connects the new bridge to the station and south-facing riverside event spaces and proposed public square. Here, shops, cafés and restaurants will spill out onto the paved public realm and large communal courtyard garden.
The inspiration is taken from the heritage of the site and its woodland setting as well as from ‘model villages’ such as Saltaire and the steep terraced streets found in many Yorkshire towns.
Following last year’s opening of the new railway station, the first phase of commercial development completes in the next few weeks. Number One Kirkstall Forge, an 110,000 ft², seven-storey Grade A office building, is already almost 70% let and will become home to hundreds of staff before the end of the year.
Ultimately the site will offer 1,050 new homes, 300,000 ft² of offices and 100,000 ft² of retail, leisure and community space. Once complete, more than 10,000 people will live, work and visit Kirkstall Forge.
The Dispatch reported the submission of a full planning application for the site back in August.