Leeds United's Elland Road stadium 'city centre' hope as CEO reveals football allegiance
Leeds United's redeveloped Elland Road stadium will feel like it's in the city centre if a proposed tram link is developed, according to the city's chief executive.
Ed Whiting's comments follow on from Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin recently insisting that the public want a tram to connect the city centre and Elland Road. Speaking to The Yorkshire Post in May at the Royal Armouries, where Leeds hosted the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum ]UKREiiF], Ms Brabin said: "The Prime Minister came to Huddersfield a few weeks ago to talk about his support for the tram network. The Government understands that if you want growth, transport is the answer. Everything is aligned to deliver this really ambitious plan around Elland Road. The public are telling us they want that tram to go to Elland Road and make that connectivity from the city."
The Mayor revealed that a decision on the preferred route of the tram was expected this autumn, but her expectation is that spades will go in the ground by 2028 and it is hoped it could be completed by 2032.
CEO reveals Leeds allegiance
Whiting, who was appointed to the role of CEO for Leeds City Council in January after Tom Riordan stepped down, is a Leeds native and describes himself as a 'long-time' supporter of Leeds United. In an interview with Insider he said the city's club were a focal point for the three-day UKREiiF.
"We had a fantastic event with Leeds United and bringing the football club forward as part of the development of the city," he said. "It’s a really big part of where the city is going because it is the emotional heartbeat for so many of our residents, me included as a long-time Leeds fan. But also having Holbeck Together at that event where we could say not just what's going on with the football club and buildings, but how does it stitch together with the communities around it?"
Elland Road stadium is two miles south-west of the city centre and currently accessible via a number of bus services and a shuttle service to and from Temple Green Park and Ride on matchdays. But the traffic build-up before and after games can cause long delays and many supporters are seen in long queues for taxis as they attempt to return to the city centre.
Leeds United's pre-application presentation to the City Plans Panel, detailing their proposals for a redevelopment of Elland Road, included a transport strategy with an objective to reduce reliance on cars to access the stadium. A survey undertaken by the club suggests that 65 per cent of journeys to Elland Road are made by car.
Elland Road tram options
Whiting believes that Elland Road stadium will no longer feel so detached from the city centre if a tram route is established. West Yorkshire Combined Authority recently put it to the public that there were three proposed route options for the South Leeds section of the tram route. One via Dewsbury Road, one via Elland Road, Elland Road Stadium and Ring Road Beeston and a third, via Gelderd Road, Lowfields Road, Elland Road Stadium and Old Lane.
Whiting added: "Elland Road always felt a long way from the city centre and it's actually not. So if we do get the tram connecting the city I think it's going to feel like it really is in the city centre and that connection to White Rose too is so accessible. Our job too, as a city council, is to make sure that's captured for Cottingley and Morley, Middleton and for all the communities around that area and wider into the south.”
Leeds United’s proposals for Elland Road redevelopment include the partial demolition and extension of the West Stand, for which Leeds are seeking full planning permission. They also seek outline planning permission for alterations to the North Stand, as they take the current 36,000 capacity up to an estimated 53,000.