Aire Park: plans revealed for final phase of major city centre development in Leeds

Plans are being shared during a public consultation period which is due to end on April 10, before the final plans are submitted to Leeds City Council later this year.

In addition to the new elements of the built environment, the plans also reveal the final hectare of the park and extended public realm.

Vastint UK said the extension will make the park the largest new city centre green park in the country, and will provide a “wide range of benefits” to visitors and future residents, including additional outdoor event space for cultural activities.

Situated south of Crown Point Road with Black Bull Street running from the north-east to the south west, and the A61 along the south-west boundary, phase two of the masterplan will also connect Leeds South Bank to the city centre and Leeds Dock, creating a route for pedestrians and cyclists to use.

Once completed Aire Park will include 1,400 modern homes, and over 1 million sq ft of mixed-use office, retail, leisure and commercial space, anchored around an 8-acre public park.

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Simon Schofield, head of development at Vastint UK, said, "Moving into the second phase of the Aire Park masterplan is a really exciting time.

"We are already underway with 290,000 sq ft of commercial space and have seen strong demand from the market already.

"Along with our recently revealed ambitions for The Tetley building and the ongoing plans for the first residential homes within Aire Park, phase two of our masterplan expands the site to the other side of Crown Point Road.

“As long-term investors in Leeds, we’re excited to be bringing new spaces forward for residents and visitors to enjoy. Revealing these plans shows our ambition to not just regenerate part of the city’s South Bank but to create a vibrant neighbourhood that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable, breathing new life into this area of Leeds.”

The release of the new plans follows Vastint’s announceent last week that Leeds-based Kirkstall Brewery will take on the lease of The Tetley, with plans to make it a “hub for great beer from Leeds” and renew its status as a “landmark of Yorkshire beer culture”.

The Tetley building is the former brewing headquarters of Tetley’s Brewery, built in the Art Deco style in 1931. In the 1980s, Tetley’s Brewery became the largest producer of cask ale in the world, and the site has remained an icon of Leeds beer history, even after its closure in 2011.

The building operated as a contemporary art gallery from 2013 until 2023, when its lease ended.

From May, Kirkstall will be operating The Tetley as a showcase of the "very best of brewing in Leeds”.

It will feature beers from other breweries in the area, alongside brands from Kirkstall Brewery, Leeds Brewery and the firm’s most recent acquisition, North.

Kirkstall also plans to host a number of events at the historic building, and will be working until May to prepare the site for its reopening.

​On the creation of Aire Park, Vastint UK is working with masterplan architect Supervene and landscape architect Planit as well as transport consultant Stantec and planning advisors Turley.