Green light for new 'Corn Exchange Pavilion' in Leeds city centre
A pavilion is set to be built outside the Corn Exchange in Leeds.
This morning (Tuesday), Leeds City Council’s planning committee gave the green light to plans submitted by CX Leeds Ltd for a pavilion outside the city-centre landmark.
The building will be constructed on land currently occupied by AstroTurf in the pedestrian zone between New Market Street and Crown Street, adjacent to existing bus shelters and next to the Cornucopia mural.
Discussing the pavilion’s design, Den Architecture explained that the selected materials will create an intriguing, contemporary single-storey structure that complements the area and pays homage to the shelters that once occupied the site.
“The scale of the building and roof form of the proposal pays tribute to the previous tram and bus shelters that once occupied the site,” they wrote in a design statement, “while retaining the appropriately subservient nature of any new building in close proximity to the Corn Exchange. This will also provide greater visibility of the Cornucopia Mural.
“The building has been designed following extensive and thorough analysis, with a clear understanding of the built environment and the area’s historic significance.”
Although no details have been revealed about the pavilion’s intended use, information outlined in Leeds City Council’s 2020 Our Spaces strategy suggests it could be used for “outdoor functions, shops and cafés”.
In February 2021, then-councillor Lisa Mulherin said the so-called Corn Exchange Pavilion “will add public amenity to the space, transforming it into a place where residents and visitors of all ages can meet.”
The planning application, originally submitted to the council on December 19, 2024, received three public objections.