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Leeds Dock website

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"Safe, simple and great value parking." CitiPark takes away the stress of finding a parking space before a meeting or your leisure visit to Leeds Dock and offers 24/7 access to parking. CitiPark at Leeds Dock is the most environmentally friendly multi-storey car park in the UK, using solar power wherever they can.

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Allied London puts Leeds Dock up for sale

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Allied London puts Leeds Dock up for sale

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(June 2017)

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A major waterside development in Leeds has been put on the market for offers over £32m.

In 2012, property firm Allied London bought a 150-year-lease to Leeds Dock, then known as Clarence Dock, when most of the site's retail units were empty.

The company owns 161,845 sq ft of the site and has 16 tenants, the Yorkshire Evening Post first reported.

One of the largest tenants is Sky, which employs 650 staff in its digital and technology hub.

Leeds Dock is also home to one of Leeds' best-known attractions, the Royal Armouries museum.
More stories from Leeds and West Yorkshire
The original Clarence Dock development, which opened in 2007, was created to transform the industrial riverside area into a fashionable urban village with upmarket shops and restaurants.

Businesses raised concerns the site wasn't attracting sufficient visitors, with the recession blamed as a contributing factor to the lack of trade.

Kevin Grady, a Leeds historian, said: "When Allied London took over the dock, their idea was to revitalise it with events and get new office uses - they gave up on the retail side and have done pretty well.

"Now is really a prime time to sell really because it's now a prime retail asset, there's a lot of development interest in this part of the city now."

Leeds Dock has more than 1,000 apartments and approximately 2,000 people working there.

James Vincent, managing director of Royal Armouries International, said: "It's a fantastic area now, right on the waterfront.

"Allied London have done a really good job of getting people in and involved at Leeds Dock."

Allied London have been approached by the BBC, but declined to comment.

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A major waterside development in Leeds has been put on the market for offers over £32m. In 2012, property firm Allied London bought a 150-year-lease to Leeds Dock, then known as Clarence Dock, when most of the site's retail units were empty.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/dervish99/5226396224/in/photostream/

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A tour of our brand new, world-class technology hub in Leeds. For more info visit: http://careers.sky.com/atleedsdock #LifeAtSky

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Annual event held in Leeds Dock

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Primal Stampede Urban Assault Course at Leeds Dock

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Newspaper article charting the "ups and downs" of Leeds Dock's recent history

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Clarence Dock was officially opened on October 11, 2008, with a glittering waterfront fashion show. Two years on and virtually all of the shops have shipped out.

Rod McPhee looks at the ups and downs of this cornerstone Leeds development.

* Click here to watch latest YEP news and sport video reports.

What's the big deal about Clarence Dock? The big deal is that this development was intended to stretch out the asset that was Leeds's waterfront by providing a real destination.

But the mixed use leisure, retail and residential development has enjoyed mixed fortunes. Although the 1,100 flats it encompasses are nearly all bought or let, the stores have all but disappeared.

The leisure offering rests somewhere in the middle with restaurants not to mention the casino and Royal Armouries museum suffering from fluctuating footfall.

So where does the project go from here? Owners Lend Lease appear to be keeping tight-lipped about their future.

Their asset manager Graeme Jones released this statement, but no

further comment came from the company: "We are continuing to look at opportunities to further establish Clarence Dock as a retail and leisure destination for the city.

"The scheme has always been an important catalyst for regeneration along with other developments such as Brewery Wharf and Granary Wharf, which have completely transformed the waterfront."

When the Yorkshire Evening Post first looked at the development six months after it opened, the man in charge was Phil Darcy, managing director of developers Lend Lease Yorkshire, who then ran the scheme.

He was working on Clarence Dock since plans were first drawn up in the early Noughties and the foundation stone was laid in 2002.

Last year he said: "We think it's gone reasonably well. How you judge it depends what people expect to be seeing. You've got to remember that we started with something like 40m sq ft of space for various uses and not much of that isn't being used now.

"If you want to establish yourself as a new area of a city it's going to take a three-year cycle - it isn't going to happen overnight."

But, with 12 months to go before the dock reaches that point, things aren't looking too good.

Numerous stores such as Rock Couture, Daniel Footwear, Aspecto, G-Star and Joy have all left and, tellingly, haven't been replaced. Meanwhile Starbucks and @LaRocca, The Anchorage have closed their doors for various reasons.

Other businesses, such as Mumtaz Indian restaurant, are angry because they feel they were misled by the initial hype surrounding the dock. Lend Lease Yorkshire said they were in advanced negotiations with the likes of Armani, but they never came to anything.

"We were led to understand that there would be lots of designer shops down here," says boss Mumtaz Khan. "Something close to Carnaby Street. But that just never happened, and most of those shops that did come here have now left.

"It has been very hard for us, but we're going to stick at it because we're building the business up thanks to loyal clientele and we feel we're a destination restaurant. But unless they do something radical and do something quickly then it really will just be a ghost town down here.

"I just don't buy the idea that they've merely been the victims of the recession. I could understand if the businesses they were talking about came here then left, but a lot of them never came in the first place and surely negotiations with them would have taken place before we went into a recession?"

Rumours are that the dock will now take a more leisure-led direction, a move which Mr Khan broadly supports. But he's also conscious of other more practical measures, such as the introduction of better parking.

Up until recently many of the streets surrounding the dock were coated with double yellow lines, forcing any customers to use the multi-storey car park, which isn't cheap.

"I paid almost 2,000 in fines for my customers because so many of them came to me complaining about getting tickets for parking close to the restaurant - that's a crazy situation," says Mr Khan.

"The council did remove the restrictions on some of the roads around

here but, understandably, a lot of the residents now park there. Now we subsidise the parking costs of our customers when they use the multi-storey, which costs us about 3 a customer."

Earlier this year Coun Andrew Carter, then leader of Leeds City Council, called an emergency summit with bosses of the dock and other relevant parties to discuss a way forward.

"Clarence Dock is terribly important," he says. "It's not just a retail development - it's about creating a whole new waterfront for the city, stretching from the dock past Brewers Wharf up to Granary Wharf.

"Which is why I called the summit in the first place. There's no use in us, as an authority, granting planning permission, taking the contribution which companies make to the authority's coffers and waving goodbye; we have a responsibility to help."

Coun Carter helped remove the severe parking restrictions around the site but is equally bemused by the decision of Clarence Dock to sell off the multi-storey to a private company, effectively losing any control over parking.

"It has to be a two-way street," he says. "We should be willing to help but they have to help themselves. Personally, I think they need to reconsider the retail offering because it should appeal to a far broader base of people.

"Perhaps more leisure facilities are the way forward because it really is a beautiful place to go to, particularly on a sunny day, so we need to dispel this myth that it is just a white elephant which can't be fixed. It can be fixed and I'm convinced it will be a success one day."

A council spokeswoman said: "Clarence Dock is a prime residential and retail development at a major gateway to Leeds and we have been talking to its owners to do what we can to help them develop its potential as a great asset to the city.

"We support events there like the waterfront festival and Leeds Loves Shopping week activities and we are giving further practical help by relaxing on-street parking restrictions. This is something we are working on and has to be done through a legal process which takes time.

However, once this is complete we intend to remove some double yellow lines in local streets to encourage more visitors by making it easier for people to travel there by car."

It isn't all bad news. Interestingly, more mid-market offerings such as the Pizza Express and Tesco frequently do a roaring trade and hope also comes in the form of Yorkshire Water who've taken 55,000 sq ft of office space in one of the biggest non-residential buildings on the dock. They have shipped hundreds of employees into the area and increased footfall.

The aforementioned residential aspect seems to have performed too. "I think we've finally exploded this myth that most of the flats aren't occupied," adds Coun Carter.

That's backed up by Mint Move Property, who only deal in letting apartments in Clarence Dock. Along with Annie Walker, Bev Linfoot runs the company.

"We have a portfolio of about 100 properties and if someone leaves an apartment we usually have someone there to move in straight away, the demand is that high," she says.

"I think the longest we've had to wait before finding another tenant is three to four weeks and even more telling is the fact that we have people approach us to find them an apartment when they already live in another city centre development, but want to come to the dock.

"The difference is that most people here aren't too bothered by the shops, the only shop they're really bothered about is a supermarket and we have a Tesco on site which does very well - not many other developments boast that.

"The location is also great for city living. It is just minutes from the middle of Leeds and lots of people aren't concerned about parking or even having a car because they just walk everywhere.

"Our rental levels have also stayed pretty constant too. For a one-bedroom apartment you're roughly looking at 550 a month and 750 or above for a two-bedroom flat."

Bev has also noticed that tenants are more likely to stay longer in apartments than in other developments, showing that it is a genuine draw with far less transience than first envisaged.

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Clarence Dock: Ups and downs of Leeds cornerstone development

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Rod McPhee looks at the ups and downs of this cornerstone Leeds development. * Click here to watch latest YEP news and sport video reports. What's the big deal about Clarence Dock? The big deal is that this development was intended to stretch out the asset that was Leeds's waterfront by providing a real destination.

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Video and report about development of Leeds Dock

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It's the missing piece of a city centre jigsaw puzzle and now after years of decline, could the renamed Leeds Dock be about to have its day? Neil Hudson reports.

Taking rundown waterside areas and injecting new life into them through bars, restaurants,shops and apartments has created whole new quarters in many of Britain's cities from Manchester to Birmingham.

Yet, there's been one area of Leeds where similar grand plans have always failed to take off. Clarence Dock may be just a few minutes walk away from the city centre yet it feels a world away from the bustle of say Trinity Leeds. However, not perhaps for much longer.

The plans almost sound too good to be true. A new shuttle bus service for the centre of Leeds connecting to Clarence Dock, several major firms already signed up to move into The Engine (the building formerly occupied by Alea Casino) and two new colleges for the south bank area.

Allied London, the firm which owns the 1.2m sq ft site, has told the Yorkshire Post it is already in talks with a bus company to run the new shuttle bus service and two routes have already been agreed. In addition, water taxis brought over specially from Holland will begin operating in June or July.

"I think there's still quite a lot of momentum that needs to gather down there," says Michael Ingall, managing director of Allied London."It's quite easy at this stage of any recovery, particularly in the property market, to get ahead of ourselves and I don't want people to do that.

"The big thing for the South Bank is nothing is going to happen without the infrastructure. Schemes like Trinity, the Hammerson development on Eastgate [which will see John Lewis move to the city] and Leeds Arena are obvious choices for investors, because they're in the centre but developers are less convinced about places on the edge, so what is needed is money. All the talking needs to be converted into cash.

"The reason our Manchester development was successful was because we pioneered the free bus, we funded 30 per cent of that. The people we spoke to over there understood the power of infrastructure and since that was introduced it's generated £30m in rates.

"We could do it in Leeds.

"We are forging ahead with our own plans, we are in talks with First about laying on a bus service which I think to begin with will be subsidised but will be along the same lines as the one in Manchester. We have two routes already planned.

"They key is not just standing up and talking about the South Bank but doing something about it. You can build a place, but if people can't get to it, it will always fail and if they don't get the infrastructure in place, we'll be back here in 15 years talking about how desolate it is down there.

"There are schemes like HS2 and Trolleybus but they are a long way off, we cannot wait for them. We're making a start here but if no-one else is willing to play the game, then the cards go back in the pack."

Commenting on plans to turn the former Alea Casino building into a bustling new corporate centre, he said: "The casino idea didn't work but ultimately did we care? No, because that building is going to be the first super-building in Leeds and we are already in talks with companies who want to move into it, big corporates who want an office environment with amenities for staff.

"We're still on course to do what we said and launch in the summer - there will be a series of water-based events including a theatre and opera on water and we are going to create an outdoor cinema. We're moving ahead but at the moment we're rowing the boat on our own."

Responding to the comments, the Leeds bus company First has insisted it is committed to the scheme.

A spokesman said: "As the leading bus operator in Leeds, we welcome the opportunity to play our part in the transport planning around the New Dock development. We have experience operating local shuttle services and providing route connections around new developments in major towns and cities.

"We are working with developers to look at the best options to give customers reliable and convenient bus services to this important development in Leeds."

One of the flagship companies rumoured to be interested in moving into the The Engine is BSkyB. The company has said that it has no confirmed plans at this stage, the fact that there seems to be sign of life in a corner of the city so long devoid of any does seem to be cause for at least muted celebration.

Historically important, Clarence Dock was originally used by barges to unload goods, mainly coal, from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigation.

Like many waterside areas, when the industry it had been set up to serve decline, it became something of a ghost town. However, in 2001 salvation came in the form of a £250m regeneration project. It included the arrival of the prestigious Royal Armouries, but the wider development suffered for years from a lack of interest and low footfall.

When London Clubs International executive director Roy Ramm said in 2001: "Clarence Dock feels like a forgotten part of the city at the moment - the only thing that's missing here is the tumbleweed," he summed up the thoughts of many.

It was three years ago that the site was acquired by Allied London, which unveiled a masterplan for the troubled district, with ambitions to create a water village, landmark buildings, a green space and a workspace hub by 2014.

The plans also included a public space which could be used for concerts, comedy performances, theatre and art displays.

While the development may have had a bit of a false start, Dr Kevin Grady, director of Leeds Civic Trust, has welcomed the plans: "To be successful, Clarence Dock needs to have a lot of people there during the day, so transforming the old Alea building is a great idea. It's good news for retailers, cafes and restaurants. Allied London have experience in buying distressed retail space and re-animating it. They have some creative ideas about how to do that.

"It's failed in the past because it has lacked the critical mass of buildings in the surrounding area but now we have Leeds City College in the former print works on Hunslet Road and the College of Building, there will be lots of students very close to the dock. Life coming to the surround area will almost enable the dock to become what it has always wanted to be.

"Another factor which has hindered it was that by the time it got itself up and running, the recession hit and because it has lacked good transport links, parking is difficult or expensive, it has struggled. Now the climate has changed and we're starting to see renewed interest from investors."

neil.hudson@ypn.co.uk

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Video: Failed corner of Leeds desperate to make a splash

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It's the missing piece of a city centre jigsaw puzzle and now after years of decline, could the renamed Leeds Dock be about to have its day? Neil Hudson reports. Taking rundown waterside areas and injecting new life into them through bars, restaurants,shops and apartments has created whole new quarters in many of Britain's cities from Manchester to Birmingham.

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Article about transport links to Leeds Dock

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Allied London & Leeds City Council Invest In City Centre Connection For Leeds Dock and Leeds South Bank

The South Bank area of Leeds received another boost today with the launch of a new public shuttle bus link connecting the city's railway station to Leeds Dock.

Allied London and Leeds City Council have initiated this ground-breaking new transport infrastructure as Leeds Dock continues its mission to become the UK's leading business destination. The number 70 service hit the road on Sunday 26th April at 10am, and runs between Leeds Dock and Leeds South Bank to the city centre every 12 minutes.

Allied London and Leeds City Council's investment in the bus service supports their joint initiative to elevate the waterfront to the location of choice for the city's modern industries and is an important economic development for both Leeds Dock and the South Bank. The extensive investment from both parties in the transport network demonstrates the commitment to promoting Leeds Dock and Leeds South Bank as a new gateway for not just local residents, but those living, working and socialising within the city centre.

Continuing to support the waterside community's transport network is the water taxi service, which launched successfully last year and runs 7 days a week along the canal and has carried over 21,000 passengers since 2014. This provides commuters with an alternative route to work, and supports Allied London's ambition to connect the city's major businesses. The brightly coloured boats depart from Leeds Dock and Granary Wharf every 15 minutes throughout the day and are free of charge.

Following the announcement that Google has chosen Leeds Dock as its home for it's new 'Digital Garage', the area is fast becoming increasingly in-demand destinations for businesses that want to establish a creative cluster along the waterfront as well as playing host to a popular programme of family and cultural events throughout the year. The launch comes ahead of the Buy Yorkshire event at Leeds Dock this week, which is expected to attract more than 8,000 people.

Mike Ingall, CEO of Allied London comments:

Leeds is home to some of the country's most dynamic creative businesses, which have the potential to propel the city to international attention. The new transport services provides a great boost for the city and offers the much-needed infrastructure to sustain the regeneration of the South Bank area, of which Leeds Dock is a part. We are delighted to be delivering this key infrastructure jointly with Leeds City Council.

"By developing the Leeds Dock area we are creating a desirable neighbourhood in which the modern industries can thrive, working and meeting with like-minded people against a modern, vibrant backdrop.

"Bringing this vision to life we can kick start the regeneration areas and bring Leeds Dock out of the city centre's shadow and link it together to create a development unlike anything seen in the city before. We want to create a vibrant, self sustaining neighbourhood and visitor destination to connect better with the 100,000 passengers that cone through Leeds Station everyday."

Leeds City Council executive member for transport and economy Councillor Richard Lewis said: "We're delighted to be working with Allied London to provide this new shuttle bus between Leeds Dock and Leeds Rail Station. It will further enhance Leeds Dock as an attractive place to visit, live and work and will greatly help to improve the connectivity between the station, Leeds Dock and the exciting developments underway and to come in the broader South Bank. We look forward to seeing the new bus in operation."

The number 70 bus route, to be called City Bus South Bank, will charge a flat fare of 50p - all concessionary passes, as well as day and season tickets valid on First Bus services, will be honoured. A new 80p fare is being introduced that will allow transfers between the existing City Bus and the new City Bus South Bank.

Leeds Dock, which was acquired by Allied London in 2012, is being transformed into a new waterfront community and home for start-up digital and creative businesses. It has more than 2,000 residents on site as well as restaurants, bars, a gym, yoga centre, conference facilities, a hotel, as well as the Royal Armouries Museum. It hosts regular events throughout the year such as concerts, comedy, theatre, art and festivals.

City Bus South Bank - Route Description

From New Station Street via Wellington Street, Quebec Street, Infirmary Street, City Square, Park Row, Boar Lane, Mill Hill, Bishopgate Street, Neville Street, Great Wilson Street, Crown Point Road, Black Bull Street, Chadwick Street, Chadwick Street South, Armouries Drive, Clarence Road, Carlisle Road, Sayner Road, Hunslet Road, Hunslet Lane, Great Wilson Street, Meadow Lane, Bridge End, Lower Briggate, Boar Lane to New Station Street.

City Bus South Bank - Stops Observed

Leeds Rail Station Interchange

Infirmary Street

Neville Street

Great Wilson Street

Crown Point Road

Chadwick Street

Clarence Road

Hunslet Road

Crown Point

Meadow Lane

Boar Lane

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Transport Boost For Leeds - Leeds City Magazine

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The South Bank area of Leeds received another boost today with the launch of a new public shuttle bus link connecting the city's railway station to Leeds Dock. Allied London and Leeds City Council have initiated this ground-breaking new transport infrastructure as Leeds Dock continues its mission to become the UK's leading business destination.

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Newspaper report on water taxi

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Plans for a major new office complex in Leeds could see commuters travelling to work by boat.

Allied London has submitted a planning application to turn the former Alea Casino at the old Clarence Dock complex into a 70,000 sq ft block called The Engine.

Under the proposals the company is in negotiations to introduce "water taxis" to and from the city centre.

It hopes the development, which will also include restaurants and other leisure facilities, will help breathe new life into the struggling area.

According to the planning application, the site's location makes it ideal for water transport.

It said: "The site is adjacent to the River Aire and there is potential for a Water Taxi service to connect New Dock with Brewery Wharf and Granary Wharf.

"This will offer a direct route between New Dock and the city centre for commuters, visitors and tourists.

"Negotiations are currently proceeding to secure an operator for this service."

Clarence Dock failed to live up to its pre-launch hype after opening shortly before the financial crash in 2007.

Many of its retail units were never occupied and prices of its upmarket flats have plummeted in the years since.

Allied London rebranded Clarence Dock as New Dock after acquiring the site at the start of 2012.

In a further blow the casino closed the following year, along with restaurants Leeds Kitchen and The Bird.

Last year the company unveiled proposals for new offices, gallery and exhibition facilities and retail and restaurant businesses. It has now renamed the complex Leeds Dock.

The planning application for The Engine was submitted to Leeds City Council last week.

Chief executive Michael Ingall said: "The volume of this property is vast, it really is a super building."

John Cooper, of Deloitte Real Estate, which prepared the planning application, said it could accommodate up to 5,000 workers.

"Combined with the new water taxi and bus links due to start running in summer, a currently under-utilised area of Leeds is destined to become a thriving business and leisure destination," he added.
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Plans for a major new office complex in Leeds could see commuters travelling to work by boat. Allied London has submitted a planning application to turn the former Alea Casino at the old Clarence Dock complex into a 70,000 sq ft block called The Engine.

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Quote from the owner of Mumtaz Indian restaurant, taken from Y.E.P. newspaper report

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Overview of planning proposal for Leeds South Bank, of which Leeds Dock is a part of

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Newspaper report on closure of Alea Casino

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A Leeds casino complex which includes two landmark restaurants has suddenly closed with the potential loss of 99 jobs.

Alea, based at Clarence Dock, announced the immediate closure yesterday, with both Leeds Kitchen, run by celebrity chef James Martin, and The Bird, run by Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia, shutting down as a result.

London Clubs International (LCI), which runs Alea, also announced it was withdrawing from the lengthy competitive process to run a large casino in Leeds. The city was one of eight chosen by the government as potential venues for a major casino nearly five years ago but plans have still to be finalised.

The closure is yet another blow to Clarence Dock where most of the retail outlets now lie empty.

Roy Ramm, spokesman for LCI, said the company had made "a significant investment into Alea when it opened in 2008... but current trading conditions in the Clarence Dock development have made this outcome inevitable."

LCI said the government's lack of support for casinos - which are being hit by the growth in online gambling - and a belief that Leeds Council wanted a fresh site for a new casino rather Alea's existing site had led the company to "reluctantly" withdraw its bid.

LCI, whose nine other casinos in the UK remain open, hopes to relocate staff if possible but acknowledged this may be difficult.

A Leeds Council spokeswoman said: "Any announcement of jobs losses is very bad news to the city and we work hard to encourage new investment and employment opportunities.". The council could not comment on the large casino licence while the application process continued, she added.

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Alea Leeds Clarence Dock casino to close UPDATED

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A Leeds casino complex which includes two landmark restaurants has suddenly closed with the potential loss of 99 jobs. Alea, based at Clarence Dock, announced the immediate closure yesterday, with both Leeds Kitchen, run by celebrity chef James Martin, and The Bird, run by Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia, shutting down as a result.

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Screenshots from celebrity chef James Martin's website

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Allied London's homepage showing all their regeneration projects

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To work, live, and be social, Leeds Dock is the vibrant waterside destination. We're creating an enterprise village with state of the art infrastructure, workspace, independent restaurants, bars and cafés and a year-round programme of engaging events.

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Allied London's homepage for all things Leeds Dock

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Leeds Dock | A waterside destination on the South Bank

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Experience Leeds Dock for yourself. A place to work, live, experience and enjoy. A focus on innovation, digital excellence, the arts.