Holbeck Viaduct Project on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Holbeck Viaduct Project is a community project to bring the Holbeck Viaduct in 
The Holbeck Viaduct Project community group envisages that the viaduct will open in 2023. The proposed timeline for the development is:
* 2016–2017: Pre-feasibility scoping report
* 2017–2018: Detailed feasibility and stakeholder engagement
* 2018–2020: Fundraising and securing land and planning
* 2021–2023: Constructing, planting and opening.
The project is happening at the same time as the South Bank Leeds regeneration, which has the aim of doubling the size of Leeds city centre.
The community group supporting the project seeks to develop the project in a highly participatory manner, drawing on the time, skills and resources of a wide range of people and organisations. The group has a website and mailing list, and is represented on Twitter and Facebook. The group is seeking new volunteers and supporters to support their community-based proposals, including detailed feasibility study to underpin future fundraising.
The project has previously been referred to as the Holbeck High Line, echoing the 
The Holbeck Viaduct Project is a community project to bring the Holbeck Viaduct in Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, back into public use. The project is supported by a community group of the same name.
The Holbeck Viaduct (also known as the Farnley Viaduct) spans 92 archways and . It runs from Leeds railway station
Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (as of March 2020). I ...
, via Holbeck Urban Village
Holbeck Urban Village is an area of Leeds city centre, close to Leeds railway station that has been undergoing a period of urban renewal.
Description
The designated area, part of Holbeck, is located amongst ex-locomotive engineering and manufact ...
and Old Holbeck
Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the o ...
, passes near Elland Road Stadium
Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Premier League club Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the ...
and ends onto wasteland in Wortley.
The viaduct
A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
was built in 1882 for the London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
during the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
. It has been described as a feat of Victorian engineering, and provided a vital transport link into the booming city centre, which by the turn of the 20th century had developed into an important centre for the production of woollen cloth (See History of Leeds
Loidis, from which Leeds derives its name, was anciently a forested area of the Celtic kingdom of Elmet. The settlement certainly existed at the time of the Norman conquest of England and in 1086 was a thriving manor under the overlordship of I ...
). The viaduct largely fell out of use in the 1960s following Leeds City Station
Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the Leeds city centre, city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (a ...
modernisation, and the last scheduled train to pass over the viaduct did so on 11 October 1987.
A number of uses for the viaduct have been suggested, including a community garden, green walkway, arts space, park, cycle path, events hub, public allotment, café, music venue, viewing platform, local landmark or other community-focused project.
The Holbeck Viaduct Project community group envisages that the viaduct will open in 2023. The proposed timeline for the development is:
* 2016–2017: Pre-feasibility scoping report
* 2017–2018: Detailed feasibility and stakeholder engagement
* 2018–2020: Fundraising and securing land and planning
* 2021–2023: Constructing, planting and opening.
The project is happening at the same time as the South Bank Leeds regeneration, which has the aim of doubling the size of Leeds city centre.
The community group supporting the project seeks to develop the project in a highly participatory manner, drawing on the time, skills and resources of a wide range of people and organisations. The group has a website and mailing list, and is represented on Twitter and Facebook. The group is seeking new volunteers and supporters to support their community-based proposals, including detailed feasibility study to underpin future fundraising.
The project has previously been referred to as the Holbeck High Line, echoing the High Line
The High Line is a elevated park, elevated linear park, greenway (landscape), greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the West Side (Manhattan), west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line's ...
in New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. However, the name Holbeck Viaduct Project reflects a wider range of options and a desire to create an affordable project which truly reflects Leeds and its local communities.
The Holbeck Viaduct Project is not to be confused with the nearby Monk Bridge Viaduct development, in nearby Whitehall Road, which will see a separate viaduct turned into a sky park, alongside bars, restaurants and apartments.
References