German urban renewal developers visit Leeds

A group of 20 urban renewal developers, consisting of managing directors and key personnel from major public as well as private real estate companies from across Germany, visited Leeds on 19th June.

The purpose of the visit was to widen the scope, learn and see what the issues, problems and solutions are in other countries in terms of urban development. Having visited Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Poland in the past year, England was next on their agenda with a specific focus on Leeds as well as Liverpool and Manchester.

Colin Mawhinney, Head of Economic Policy and Programmes at Leeds City Council, met the German group at Wellington Place where he gave them an insight into the plans and strategies for regenerating the city.

The rapid and fundamental changes in Leeds were of particular interest to the group. A walking tour illustrated this, exploring the waterfront at Granary Wharf past Holbeck Urban Village, Bridgewater Place, Clarence Dock, the City Markets, the new proposed Trinity Quarter, Eastgate and Harewood Quarter schemes as well as the new arena development sites. Millennium Square, Quarry Hill and Opal 3 were also viewed along the way.

Colin explained about the approach to maximising public and private sector confidence and investment in the regeneration of Leeds. Over the course of 10 to 15 years this had transformed large areas around the city centre. Moreover this investment had been delivered in a connected way, which had strengthened the city’s sense of place.

Leeds is increasingly gaining international recognition as a dynamic city. Recently, the Old Broadcasting Place was chosen as the winner of the European category as the 'best tall building’ by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Also awarded for excellence in design and construction was the 828m Burj Khalifa building in Dubai, the 163m Pinnacle@Duxton in Singapore and the 366m Bank of America tower in New York. One of the four regional buildings will be selected as the Best Tall Building Overall in October 2010.

Having arrived with a pre-conception of Leeds as an industrial town, the German group left Leeds with very changed perceptions which recognised the strength of the city’s diverse economy.

Colin said “This was an excellent opportunity to compare our recent experience of regeneration and our hopes for continued investment in the public realm as a key ingredient of successful cities”.