Elland Road neighbourhood: proposals for new homes & leisure opportunities

Leeds City Council has launched a consultation on refreshed planning guidance for the future regeneration of land surrounding the Elland Road football stadium, which could deliver a multi-billion pound boost to the city’s economy including potentially up to 2,000 new homes along with major leisure and commercial opportunities.

The council is consulting on the ‘Elland Road 2025 Informal Planning Statement’, a document which will guide the future regeneration of around 30 acres of land surrounding the football stadium which is principally owned by the council.

If the refreshed guidance is agreed, the land could be transformed with the potential for as many as 2,000 new homes alongside high quality public realm and facilities which are integrated with the surrounding existing communities.

The draft document outlines other uses that could be acceptable including major new leisure opportunities such as a community sports arena, hotel accommodation, and workspaces, following the internationally-recognised trend of using sport and football stadiums as a major catalyst for regeneration and investment. There is also the potential for educational facilities linked to sport, health and wellbeing.

The proposals outline the future relocation of the temporary park and ride currently at the site and how, subject to demand being evidenced, one or more multi-storey car parks could be permitted.

The land has been allocated for development for a number of years. The previous guidance for the land was adopted in 2007. The refreshed vision and ambitions reflect changes and developments in the local area, including Leeds United’s proposed stadium expansion, and also across the economy and wider city.

Deputy Leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, Councillor Jonathan Pryor, said: “Our proposals for Elland Road represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity of national significance to create a new neighbourhood, carefully integrated within South Leeds, which will deliver new homes, create jobs and provide major leisure opportunities, along with community and educational facilities that will benefit new and existing communities.

“Delivering a new neighbourhood of this size and scale will provide a further boost to our city’s ever-growing economy, accommodating the continuing demand for residential and commercial development across the city, at one of our most strategically significant gateway sites which has been earmarked for development for many years.

“With recent momentum such as the stadium expansion progressing, and many changes in Leeds since we first adopted planning guidance over 17 years ago, it is right that we take the opportunity to refresh the vision for this area. We strongly encourage residents, businesses and any interested party to participate in the consultation to help shape the updated proposals.”

The site has been utilised as a temporary park and ride and is used for matchday car parking as a meanwhile use pending redevelopment proposals. The proposals outline how the park and ride facility could be relocated, alongside also potentially allowing one or more multi-storey car parks to be built on the land subject to demand being demonstrated. These could serve the local community and visitors to the area on matchdays and non-matchdays.

Development of the site would take up to 20 years from start on-site to completion, and changes to parking provision would be phased and carefully considered to ensure the local highway network can function on matchdays and avoiding any adverse impact on neighbouring communities.

The council will be writing to local residents shortly to understand what their experiences are regarding parking issues in their area and whether some parking restrictions could be introduced to help address any local concerns.

Alongside phased changes to car parking provision, the proposals also highlight how the council will improve connectivity between Elland Road and the city so improvements to walking and cycling routes make it easier and more attractive for people to choose active and sustainable methods of travel.

The council has published its proposals online at https://ellandroadneighbourhood.commonplace.is/ as part of a consultation where residents, businesses and stakeholders can find out more information and provide feedback.

There will also be a series of community events where people can view the proposals and discuss them with council officers.

Following consultation, feedback would be considered when finalising the proposals. It would be the intention for the document to be adopted by the council’s executive board at a future meeting.