realisedevelopment.net

Just another WordPress site

Plans Unveiled for Tower Works – Curb Your Enthusiasm?

March 18, 2010 by admin

Yorkshire Forward have recently unveiled plans (again) for the regeneration of the tiny, but very well positioned Tower Works site in Leeds.  A quick search of the YF site shows that this has been rumbling on since the land was acquired in 2006.

The usual PR froth is being spewed out – ‘mixed use development’,  ‘Italianate Towers’, ‘Giotto’, ‘supporting creative and digital industries’, ‘Leeds as a major business centre’….’vibrant community’ etc.  But haven’t we been fed this line somewhere before?

Original plans for some 145 000 square feet of office space have been reduced to 18000 square feet in the ‘first phase’.  But this will put still more pressure on Holbeck Urban Village where, at a casual glance, occupancy (outside of The Round Foundry) is poor.

The re-development of Tower Works will be financed by a mix of public and private finance. The public element coming from Yorkshire Forward seems to be just shy of £20 million.  The private investment will mean that only those aspects of the development that are most likely to provide a good return are likely to happen quickly.  With Holbeck Estates going into administration it is not yet at all clear how any developer will make their returns.

Perhaps it is a time for a change of tack?

Currently we invest enormous sums of public cash in developers to sweeten deals sufficiently to enable them to provide an infrastructure that will attract the creative classes to Leeds.  Tower Works, the new southern entrance to the station, Neville St refurbishment, Latitude, Wellington St, I could go on.  Once we have got things just right, and our 15 year plans have come to fruition, then surely things will come good?  Well, if it all works out well, perhaps, yes.  Those with the skills and the finance to use the infrastructure might be able to accrue more wealth.   And, if you still believe in ‘trickle down’ (probably Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy as well), then the economic benefits will also flow out to the poorer communities enabling the ‘gap’ to be maintained rather than widened.  Perhaps the enterprise fairytale will have a happy ending this time. Perhaps…if we combine best case scenario with that holy grail of trickle down.  Now I am all for optimism, confidence and positive thinking – but the realist in me says ‘Perhaps not’.

Worst case scenario?  Developers, architects, public servants and planners get paid their fees and salaries and we get left with yet more low occupancy real estate.  And I am not talking schools and GP practices.  I am talking office space.  Leeds is already awash with infrastructure – yet we intend to create more.

What would happen if we used that £20m to provide a serious programme of enterprise outreach education?  (And before anyone says isn’t that what LEGI did, no they did not.  They too put the money primarily into infrastructure at Shine and  Hillside offering expensive premium office space).

What would happen if we provided high quality, sustained, long term and person centred community development work?

What if we taught local people the importance of bootstrapping, skill development and building social networks that pursued sustainable communities?

What if we helped them to create their own futures rather than enveloping them in the vision of the anointed?

Would our faith in the creativity, hard work and application of the people of Leeds be rewarded?

Of course.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Aspirations, community development, Leeds, person centred, Regeneration, responsive

Recent Posts

  • Hello world!
  • The Challenges of ‘Engaging Community Leaders’
  • Are rich people less honest?
  • 121s – The single most effective tool for improving performance at work?
  • Wendell Berry’s Plan to Save the World

Recent Comments

  • A WordPress Commenter on Hello world!
  • charles hapazari on Top Down: Bottom Up
  • Marvina Babs-Apata on The Challenges of ‘Engaging Community Leaders’
  • Steve Hoey on The Challenges of ‘Engaging Community Leaders’
  • Philippa on An imaginary open letter: To those who would ‘engage’ us…

Archives

  • November 2018
  • March 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007

Categories

  • Community
  • Development
  • enterprise
  • entrepreneurship
  • Leadership
  • management
  • Progress School
  • Results Factory
  • Training
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2023 · Enterprise Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in