Leeds in the 1990s: Exhibition showcases unseen photos of city's urban regeneration

A team of volunteers at Leeds Civic Trust has been cataloguing sites captured in a collection of photo slides given to the charity by the now-defunct Leeds Development Corporation, which operated between 1988 and 1995. 

This was an agency set up under the Thatcher government to regenerate sites in the city centre and in Kirkstall. The agency by-passed normal planning processes with decisions made by a small group of government appointed directors. Planning approvals were then implemented by Leeds City Council.

The exhibition features familiar sites such as Brewery Wharf and the Royal Armouries as well barren sites under construction. You will also see how historic buildings like the Corn Exchange and the Third White Cloth Hall have changed over the last three decades. The volunteers have identified the locations in over 500 slides and have photographed the sites as they stand today.

More than 100 photos are featured in the free exhibition which is being held at 2 Brewery Place - owned by Rushbond Plc and once the location of the Tetley Museum - and runs from Tuesday, May 21 until Saturday, May 25, between 10am and 4pm.

Trust director Martin Hamilton said: “The Leeds Development Corporation was a controversial organisation, but its impact in the city is still being felt to this day. We are delighted to able to showcase these photos - which have never been on public display and to reflect on how these sites look 30 years on.”

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Jonathan Maud, chairman of Rushbond PLC, said: “We are delighted to be the hosts for this fascinating exhibition. As developers and owners of Brewery Place, one of the schemes originally conceived by the LDC and as a company who was engaged with LDC all those years ago, we are acutely aware of the role this organisation played in making Leeds what it is today.”

Executive director of Leeds Development Corporation Alan Goodrum said: “It was a privilege to be part of the Leeds Development Corporation story from start to finish 1988-1995 as director of planning. Our maxim was “Making things happen” and we were one of the Michael Heseltine inspired urban development corporations. Some 9,000 jobs, 570 new homes and £357m of private investment was created on our watch. A great deal of change took place including the refurbishment of the Corn Exchange, creation of the Royal Armouries , Hunslet Green, and the regeneration of the old power station site at Kirkstall. We ensured there was a photographic record and it is wonderful that Leeds Civic Trust have assembled a team of volunteers to catalogue them and put on this exhibition. I hope as many people as possible will visit this showcase of urban regeneration.”

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Leeds Civic Trust is a charity established in 1965 that promotes the improvements of Leeds in the spheres of planning, architecture, heritage, and public amenities. It is responsible for the city’s blue plaque scheme.