Site chosen for £30m Leeds arena

Leeds City Council will begin planning work on a £30m arena to open in 2012, after finally choosing a location for the venue.

The council has decided to build the 12,500-seat entertainment venue on a site it part owns with Leeds Metropolitan University.

The 2ha Claypit Lane site near Merrion Shopping Centre was chosen over options put forward by developers who own land at Sweet Street, Holbeck and near Elland Road.

A council spokeswoman said design and planning work would begin immediately with the goal to finish the venue by 2012.

“We don’t have any dates for when construction work will start, because currently there are no formal plans,” the spokeswoman said.

The arena will be funded by the council and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and be managed by SMG Europe.

The council had originally intended to select a developer and site through a developer competition but decided the bids put forward by Montpellier and GMI were too expensive.

Councillor Andrew Carter said: “The council is determined to deliver an arena in Leeds but it is clear that the credit crunch and its impact on the property market has made the prospect of securing an affordable proposition through the developer competition very challenging.

“Ultimately, we do not believe that, in the current market, the developer competition process can deliver an affordable and value for money outcome.”