Kirkgate, Leeds
Proposals shown here are for Nos. 83 to 89, 91 and 97 Kirkgate, sandwiched between the railway viaduct and the First White Cloth Hall site, collectively known as Kirkgate Frontages and for the Crown & Fleece public house at the rear of the Grade I Listed Corn Exchange.
Kirkgate itself is in fact the oldest street in Leeds dating back to the medieval period. The current collection of three storey properties, that form the frontages along Kirkgate, date from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The buildings were originally houses with the shop fronts being a later intervention to allow commercial uses to be injected into the ground floors and basements of the properties. These properties are divided by several ginnels which form a distinctive element in the street scene and are reflective of the medieval layout of crofts along the Street.
Refurbishment of the Kirkgate Frontage properties represents a significant opportunity to regenerate the Kirkgate area which has been in decline for several decades.
The Crown and Fleece is a grade 2 listed building which forms part of the backdrop to the Corn Exchange and is set to be an important element in the regeneration of the Kirkgate area. Proposals include the complete renovation of the buildings, together with a new vertical core accessing all floors, and a new shop front in keeping with its Georgian origins. These works will allow a return to public house trading after a gap of over 85 years.
Both of these proposals are part of the masterplan strategy for the regeneration of Kirkgate. We are currently preparing designs for a planning application for two major new build elements to the top of the Street and the existing car park site which is to the rear of the frontage properties. The programme seeks to undertake all of the works as a single phase; due to commence on site during 2018.
So far full and listed planning consent has been granted to both the Crown & Fleece and buildings 83 to 89, 91 and 97 Kirkgate, with applications imminent for the new build elements.