Lawn area set for busy ‘important gateway’

A LAWN is set to be created at a “very important” gateway of Leeds city centre.

Re-form Landscape Architecture has been drafting proposals for the busy Claypit Lane junction.

Designs show a patch of grass, trees and benches are planned at a former subway area opposite Leeds City Council’s new Merrion House building.

Clay Pit Lane has been identified as one of the “top 20 projects” prioritised for improvement according to a council report drafted for members of the authority’s City Plans Panel last week.

The scheme is hoped to achieve “a significant green space at this busy highway intersection”, according to the report, which adds that it would provide a “reprieve” from the busy environment.

Building is planned at several areas around the junction and Coun Peter Gruen, a member of the panel, last week said he was “frustrated” about the “chaos” of work under way at the location.

“Work has been going on for weeks and months,” he said

“Somebody ought to supervise this project. I can’t say in all honesty that it is being supervised,” he told members.

Coun Asghar Khan asked the architect’s representative, Andrew Price, what measures were being taken to protect people who would want to use the space from traffic.

Mr Price said that a “natural barrier” would be provided by what is created at the site.

The panel considered early proposals for the former subway area in February, and requested that a report be brought forward.

Merrion House – part of a plan to reduce the number of council buildings in the city centre from 17 to just four and bring all “public-facing” services under one roof was completed at the end of January after an 18-month refurbishment to the 10-storey block.

Coun Brian Selby said: “This is a very important gateway of the city.”