Developer Citu installs £1.5m steel bridge at Leeds’ Climate Innovation District

Developer Citu hit a new milestone at its Climate Innovation District scheme in Leeds this week with the installation of a 50-metre pedestrian bridge.

The £1.5m steel structure, lowered into place using a 1,000-tonne crane, will provide a link between Leeds’ South Bank and the city centre across the River Aire.

It will also link phases one and two of the £125m Climate Innovation District, which straddles the river.

The cost of the bridge was supported by a £1m loan from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growing Places Fund, which offers loans to kick-start stalled development or infrastructure projects that will deliver homes, jobs and other economic benefits.

To date, the Fund has helped launch the development of over 222 acres of land.

The three-metre wide bridge was engineered to accommodate  the city council’s planned £40m district heat network over the river, all of which is part of the wider South Bank regeneration project.

The bridge will connect phases one and two of the Climate Innovation District

The district heat network isn’t required for the homes in the Climate Innovation District, because of the properties’ airtightness and low energy needs; but it will offer existing and future developments the opportunity to benefit from a network harnessing heat generated at the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility over at Cross Green.

The bridge will officially open later this Spring.

Citu MD Chris Thompson said: “This is a huge milestone not just for the Climate Innovation District but Leeds South Bank as a whole.

“The bridge will act as a catalyst for social and economic change at Hunslet Riverside and the wider South Bank by providing a crucial physical link across the river, as well as being a real eye-catching landmark that local residents can be proud of.”

He continued: “Citu’s whole ethos is to offer a model of how to build zero carbon neighbourhoods that also provide healthier, smarter and better-connected cities.

“The Climate Innovation District is one of the UK’s leading example of this and the bridge is a central pillar – literally – of this successful philosophy.”

The chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Roger Marsh OBE, commented: “The Climate Innovation District is one of most exciting developments in the UK and is totally transforming the South Bank area of the city.

“When it is completed the new bridge will connect communities on both sides of the River Aire, open up a healthier walking and cycling route into the city centre as well as paying tribute to the industrial heritage of the area.”

He continued: “We’re committed to funding projects which make a real difference to people’s lives and this is a fantastic example of how we can strive to be a cleaner, greener city region where investment benefits everyone.”

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