Briggate is undergoing restoration works aimed at reviving Leeds city centre's streets.
The New Briggate High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) programme - a partnership between Leeds City Council and Historic England has provided funding for significant repairs and refurbishments to a row of shops and commercial units opposite Leeds Grand Theatre.
The work will include the fitting of timber sash windows and the reinstatement of traditional design features to shop fronts. It is expected to take up to five months to complete.
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Leeds City Council says the work follows "positive recent progress" on other HAZ-funded improvements to New Briggate, including the restoration of paving at the entrance to the Grand Arcade.
Other elements of the wider restoration of the area include the council's pedestrianisation of the lower end of New Briggate, wider pavements and new cycling facilities, new surfacing and footways on Merrion Street and Opera North's completion of the £18m redevelopment of its buildings on New Briggate and Harrison Street.
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council's executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure said: “It’s really exciting to see improvement work starting on these buildings, with the finished results set to make New Briggate an even more attractive place to live, shop and spend time. The Heritage Action Zone programme highlights the way that the council, alongside partners, can have a transformational impact on streets that we already know and love.
“By creating well-connected and people-friendly spaces across the city, we’re shaping the kind of environment that will attract further investment and, with it, new jobs, homes and opportunities for all.”
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council's executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “As a council, we’re determined to do everything we can to support our high streets and the businesses that give them life and vibrancy. We’re also hugely proud of Leeds’s heritage and the part its history continues to play in the thriving, fast-moving city we call home.
“The work on New Briggate combines those two ideas perfectly, with improvements that are designed to bring in more shoppers and visitors, but which are also in keeping with the area’s storied past.”
Bryan Davies, who leads on the New Briggate High Street Heritage Action Zone for Historic England, said: “It’s great to see all this work under way and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished results. We hope that the repair and refurbishments of these historic buildings will help to generate new economic opportunities for both the resident and neighbouring businesses in New Briggate.”
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