The first major step forward in plans to deliver an arena for Leeds have taken place with an open day is for potential operators and developers.
Leeds City Council hosted a ‘market awareness’ open day on Monday, 11 June, to present its vision for the scheme and discuss the procurement process and timetable and meet bidders interested in developing or operating the Leeds arena.
The open day is the first crucial step towards securing a potential developer and operator for the project. The council’s vision is for a 12,500 seat multi-purpose indoor facility able to accommodate national and international concerts and a range of events.
The council believes the building should be a high quality design which contributes significantly to the life of the city, promotes the regeneration of its surrounding area and has excellent transport links. The scheme is expected to attract significant interest from a range of organisations.
Leeds is the second biggest metropolitan district in England and nearly 3million people live within a 45-minute drive of the city centre. It has the second most diverse employment structure of any major UK city with a younger than average population and a large proportion of groups which show a higher than average level of interest in pop and rock music. Tourism in the city is strong and an arena would play an important part in taking the city up a league nationally and internationally.
Cllr Andrew Carter, Leeds City Council executive member with responsibility for city development, said: “This is an extremely exciting project and we are expecting significant interest in the open day.
“There are only a small number of experienced operators that have the skills and knowledge to operate and maintain an arena and ensure that it is successful and our priority is to get one of these on board and then move forward to obtain a developer.
“An arena can play a key role in raising the profile of Leeds and helping it fulfill its role as the focus of the city region and go up a league as a major European city.”
The timescale envisages the selection of the preferred operator by March 2008 and the selection of the preferred developer by August 2008.
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