Aire Mills in Leeds to be demolished in full

A large industrial site is to be cleared for development on Kirkstall Road in Leeds:

An extremely large industrial complex is set to be leveled on Kirkstall Road in Leeds. No plans for development have been made publically available yet, but I imagine there have been years of pre-application meetings with the Council effectively granting planning permission before the public or elected members can get a word in. This is a demolition notice, which is shrewd because it can not be refused.

The removal of the Kirkstall Road frontage will be a severe loss to this area of Leeds, which I’ve previously documented has been denuded of nearly all its heritage. Despite 70 years of reformed urbanism that has demonstrated the value in heritage-led regeneration, this is the easier and quicker option.

The frontage shown above is a beatiful example of an industrial townscape, with a varying roofline and rhythmic intricate elevation that directly addresses the street. This quality of built form no longer exists and is rarely replicated in modern development.

The above building would be perfect for residential conversion. There appears to be nothing structurally wrong with it, and it is a fine example of a modestly detailed Victorian building – modest, but not quite utilitarian.

The elongate former tannery around the corner is not quite as pretty, but still would make for an excellent piece of repurposed industrial stock.

Also a shame will be the loss of the rear elevation which forms part of the canal’s retaining wall. This Venetian form of development will never be repeated again.

The turn of the century map shows that much of this building stock is Victorian, and represents Leeds’ gilded age. Without a spot listing nothing of this area will remain, and my guess is that the Council have already generated enough momentum with a development partner to ensure this will be swift and not subject to public scrutiny. Even more of a shame is the fact that I worked on a masterplan for this area many years ago, and central to this was a local heritage list. I suppose this never made it to adoption.