£75m arts hub unveiled for city
Plans have been submitted to build a new £75m creative arts building to create a “centrepiece for the cultural landscape of Leeds” as the city shapes its bid to be the European Capital of Culture in 2023.
PLANS HAVE been submitted to build a new hi-tech £75m creative arts building that will create a “centrepiece for the cultural landscape of Leeds” as the city shapes its bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2023.
Leeds Beckett University hopes the 10-storey civic centre landmark will house cutting-edge facilities so students can develop their skills in a wide range of creative fields including fashion, performing arts, film and music.
If the state-of-the-art building is approved, it will become the new home for the university’s School of Film, Music and Performing Arts, which includes the renowned Northern Film School, and will have a programme of events staged by students throughout the year.
Many graduates of the school have joined the city region’s cultural companies and the university hopes that this new building will ensure this continues into the future.
Located opposite the Civic Hall, and on the corner of Portland Way and Calverley Street, the centre would become “a gateway” to the planned Leeds Innovation District.
Andrew Fryer, dean of film, music and performing arts at Leeds Beckett, who has been instrumental in developing the plans, said: “It will be a new centrepiece for the cultural landscape of Leeds, which is growing all the time, particularly in the run-up to the European City of Culture in 2023.
“This building will be the hub for collaboration between all areas of the school, our students, staff and the city. At the moment this is challenging because we are based across six different sites.
“It will be the gateway to the planned Leeds Innovation District, as it will be the first building you come to. There will be a cafe and social spaces for students that the public will be able to access during events, where they can experience the unique atmosphere of this building.”
The development is a joint venture between property developer Downing and the university following the firm’s successful redevelopment of an old Leeds Beckett site into student accommodation. It has been five years in the planning and if the project is given the go-ahead, it is hoped work will start in September, with the building expected to open in 2020.
Professor Paul Smith, deputy vice-chancellor, said: “Submitting for planning approval for our creative arts building is a significant step in our plan to enhance our teaching and research facilities with 21st-century accommodation for the Northern Film School, performing arts, music technology and fashion.”