Agenda item

To consider a report by the Chief Planning Officer which sets out details of the Quarry Hill – Gateway Court and Playhouse Square landscape proposals.

(Report attached)

The Chief Planning Officer submitted a report which sets out details of the Quarry Hill – Gateway Court and Playhouse Square landscape proposals.

Site photographs and plans were displayed and referred to throughout the discussion of the application.

The Council’s Project Team addressed the Panel, speaking in detail about the proposal and highlighted the following:

·  The approach to improving Gateway Court has been to provide a clear and legible space that is: well connected to the remainder of the site and the city centre inviting connections between spaces and enabling fully accessible routes and is unified in terms of the use of materials and character.

·  The requirement to develop continuous public realm throughout the site that provides a series of ‘key moments’ for relaxation, interaction, performance etc. It takes advantage of the axial geometry of the site but uses landscaping to soften the edges of what is currently quite a ‘hard’ urban space and explores the potential to maximise the ‘key moments’ by locating them within the sunnier sides of the site, offering a variety in activity and functions and to significantly increase the amount of green infrastructure through the main axial route of the site

·  The sites level changes are addressed through a series of lawned terraces and planted slopes with steps and ramps which will offer a variety of routes through and up/down the site although these form part of the public realm itself, with inbuilt benches, terraces, stopping points offering views either back to the city centre or up to Quarry House. At level 33.0m there is an important link to West Yorkshire Playhouse, whose mid-level entrance at this level opens out on to Gateway Court into a paved terrace as well as being the new location for the Playhouse box office and interval bar. This provides opportunities for outdoor seating, café spill out or outdoor performance space which could be a really vibrant location within the space itself. Just above this is a promontory which will have feature seating developed for it and potentially is a location for public art but will provide a great viewing platform for students, residents and visitors to orientate themselves within the eastern side of the city centre. Lighting at night time will also be a key element.

·  Playhouse Square is an important element of the Quarry Hill landscape proposal scheme. Currently it forms part of the existing car park on site but importantly provides 8 disabled car parking spaces and coach turning facilities. As part of the wider Quarry Hill proposals Playhouse Square will need to remain as the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s pick up and drop off point, and as a vehicle access and turning area for the Caddick development and Leeds City College development.

·  In collaboration with Caddick Developments and Leeds City College, Playhouse Square has been realigned to accommodate the wider site infrastructure requirements for pick up and drop off but also now plays a role in terms of its public realm as one of the sites ‘key moments’. It achieves this with new tree planting and feature seating to define the axial route through the site and new hard landscaping materials and lighting consistent with the new public realm proposals for Gateway Court. In addition the drop off and pick up has also managed to retain the 8 disabled parking bays that sit directly adjacent to West Yorkshire Playhouse.

·  The scheme as a whole, including Gateway Court and Playhouse Square will see the significant enhancement of approximately 0.4ha of existing green space and will provide an additional 0.2ha of new green space. The site will provide 33 new trees alongside new areas of shrub planting and grassed terraces.

·  A key constraint from a design development point of view relate to the transitioning from the 29.0m level at Eastgate roundabout up to 35.0m level at Playhouse Square. The design solution proposed successfully addresses this issue using a series of ramps and terraces creating a wheelchair accessible route through the site.

·  In addition levels across the site that connect into West Yorkshire Playhouse and Leeds city College building have a 1.15m level difference between them across the site. The design has been adapted to reduce the impact of this level change through the promontory area of the greenspace, reducing the distance users may have to travel to avoid using the stepped interface which forms part of the Leeds City College design.

In response to Members questions, the following were raised:

·  Who would have responsibility for the maintenance of the greenspace

·  Could clarification be provided that a continuous route from the Gateway Court up to Playhouse Square would exist, it was not clear on the submitted plans

·  Were there any proposals to include a water feature  within the landscape scheme

·  Would there be lighting of the public spaces

In responding to the issues raised, the applicant’s representatives said:

·  Maintenance of the greenspace would be provided by the Parks and Countryside Section of City Development

·  Officers confirmed that a continuous route from the Gateway Court up to Playhouse Square would be provided 

·  Officers reported that currently there was no intention to include a water feature within the scheme.

·  It was confirmed that there would be night time lighting

In drawing the discussion to a conclusion Members provided the following feedback;

·  Members were supportive of the proposed landscape scheme

·  Members expressed an aspiration for the inclusion of a water feature and for the lighting to be provided as an artwork feature throughout the year

In summing up the Chair said Members were supportive of the proposal and welcomed the progress being made

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report by noted and welcomed