Kirkgate: Leeds City Council considers purchasing seven derelict buildings on historic street after collapse
Run-down properties on a historic Leeds street could be bought by the council after the collapse of a building raised safety fears.
Leeds City Council has revealed it is seeking to buy seven buildings on lower Kirkgate from their private owner following the frightening scenes on April 12 when one of the buildings near the Corn Exchange caved in.
The council was already planning to spend up to £700,000 carrying emergency repairs on buildings owned by City Fusion Ltd.
Now the authority has confirmed it is in talks with the company over a purchase of buildings at 83-89 Kirkgate.
A council spokesperson said: “The condition of these privately-owned properties has deteriorated in recent years and, mindful of the impact they are having on the appearance of the street, we are now actively seeking to acquire seven of them.”
Lower Kirkgate has been closed to traffic since the April building collapse. Nobody was injured in the incident, which triggered an emergency services response.
The council said there had been other incidents of structural failure affecting buildings owned by City Fusion.
A council report said: “These incidents have serious implications for public safety as well as the wider impacts on surrounding regeneration.
“The current situation is having a detrimental impact on local businesses.”
The report said the council was planning to spend £100,000 on a feasibility study into redevelopment of the buildings. An independent valuation would also be carried out.
Other nearby buildings had been refurbished with grant funding from the Lower Kirkgate Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI).
The spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, and despite the council’s best efforts, it has not been possible to formally agree terms for the funding – via THI grant support – of improvements to a number of historic buildings towards the lower end of Kirkgate.”
The council is already planning to serve an urgent works notice on City Fusion to prevent further building collapses on the street.
Government consent has been sought for use of the order, which would give the council the authority to carry out emergency works and recover the costs from the company.
The report said other options included the use of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), but this was considered a last resort as negotiations were being held with City Fusion.
The spokesperson said: “It is our intention to purchase the buildings at market value before facilitating their long-term restoration and refurbishment for uses that will maximise their potential as key heritage assets while also complementing other local improvements made through the THI scheme.”