Road clear to create 27,000 Leeds jobs
A key milestone in the planned long term economic growth of Leeds will be reached next week.
The creation of the £32m East Leeds Link Road is intended to pave the way for the creation of up to 27,000 jobs spread across 400 hectares of land and a million square metres of office and factory space.
The road is a vital link with the Aire Valley Leeds development zone – which is already being described as a new economic powerhouse for Leeds over the next 15 to 20 years.
Next Friday, Coun Andrew Carter, deputy leader of Leeds City Council, will be joined by Leeds MP and Government Minister Hilary Benn to unveil the new road signs that point the way towards the Aire Valley development area.
When work on the £32m road is completed in the next few months it will connect Leeds city centre to the motorway network via junction 45 of the M1.
A number of businesses, including specialist print packaging company Robertsmart and carpet wholesaler Mercado, have already relocated to new premises in anticipation of the road's completion.
Planning permission has also been granted on major development sites fronting and adjoining the route of the new road.
Leeds City Council says that with the potential to attract major levels of inward investment and new business activity, the area is poised to become a key driver for the future prosperity of Leeds and the surrounding region.
Coun Carter, who is the authority's executive board member for city development, said: "Aire Valley Leeds promises to lead the city's economic development over the next 10 years with a million square metres of employment space creating up to 27,000 jobs.
"The link road will open up this new commercial powerhouse for the city, connecting it directly to the motorway network and bringing major new development and inward investment opportunities.
"Despite the current economic difficulties, Leeds is looking to the future and Aire Valley Leeds will have a major role to play in generating growth and prosperity for the city and the wider region."
Peter Beaumont, chairman of the Aire Valley Leeds investors forum, added: "The opening of the new link road has been long awaited and really signals the start of the next phase for the Aire Valley in Leeds.
"The scale of the opportunity, the ongoing activity to deliver environmental improvements and the key sites that will provide the homes and jobs that the city needs now and into the next decade, will be clear for all to see."
Posted: Monday, December 01, 2008
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