40-storey tower planned for £350m Leeds scheme

A residential skyscraper rising up 40 storeys high is being planned as part of a £350m scheme in Leeds, which would become Yorkshire’s tallest building should developers push ahead with a wider mixed-use masterplan.Commercial Estates Group (CEG), the company behind the landmark Kirkstall Forge regeneration project, has outlined the ambitious proposal for the South Bank area of Leeds in a pre-application presentation submitted to the city council. The latest plans are part of an alternative masterplan to one presented to the local authority in August, which was predominantly office-led.Now, CEG has outlined a residential and office scheme on land north and south of Globe Road and Water Lane in an area of Holbeck, known as the Temple Quarter.The development would create between 450 and 550 residential units across four buildings and “significant new office accommodation with large footplates” in a further five buildings. Two other properties could potentially include a hotel, a primary school, a health centre and a multi-storey car park, as well as retail and commercial facilities.The largest of the buildings, a residential tower located between Globe Road and the Leeds-Liverpool canal, would rise up to 40 storeys tall.With a maximum height of 136.5 meters, it would become Yorkshire’s tallest building should the proposal come to fruition. Bridgewater Place in Leeds currently holds the title at 112 meters, while Knightsbridge Capital (Leeds) is hoping to construct a building 126 metres tall.In assessing the emerging masterplan, officers at Leeds City Council said the skyscraper would affect the setting of nearby listed buildings, including Globe Quay.