Not just conventional bridges, in the air, but ‘land bridges’ that connect people and nature with the growing city at street level.

Some of those bridges represent small steps – an improved road crossing or a new sign showing the way. 

Our work in Leeds is built around the scale and ambition of a single project – Aire Park. The steps to connecting what was once the home of the Tetley Brewery back into the city are many and we didn’t expect to begin where we did and with the responsibility we were given.

Crossing the Aire as a pedestrian or cyclist used to be a chore until 2023, when the David Oluwale memorial bridge opened. Dedicated to the memory of a Nigerian man who died in tragic circumstances in 1969, it links Leeds station to the south bank. A walk that previously took 15 minutes along hostile road verges, now takes less than 10 and glimpses of the changing city beyond begin to reveal themselves from its apex.

Meadow Lane used to be one of those ‘hostile’ routes - the main arterial route into the city centre from the south; four lanes of traffic and not much chance of crossing it here, mainly because there was nowhere to go. During the pandemic, Leeds and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority decided it was an opportunity to reset the balance. Our collaborative work with City Council, WYCA and Balfour Beatty took place predominantly whilst the city was asleep, resting during lockdown.

Now it is only two lanes wide; the balance of the street converted to dedicated cycle lanes on either side and in the east, where a car park once stood, a mass of perennial planting. These gardens are helping the city adapt to the impacts of climate change and reintroduce nature to its citizens. They mark the threshold to what lies beyond – Aire Park. They are also home to the most striking addition to Leeds’ public realm for a generation – the breath-taking Hibiscus Rising, a 10m high, multi-coloured, celebration of the life of David Oluwale. 

The entry into Aire Park from here snakes either side of Leeds’s Salem Chapel – the first non-conformist chapel in the city and as importantly to many, the birthplace of Leeds United Football Club. Theatre Square, to the left, has no trees, as just below the surface, hidden beneath and inside the Salem Chapel lies a vast data centre – visible through a glass floor to those lucky enough to be invited inside. Future-facing, tech-driven reuse, hiding in plain sight. Turn the corner and the first elements of Aire Park come into view, framing another important element of Leeds’s cultural history – The Tetley.

Aire Park is a perfect demonstration of our regenerative principles, designed to actively restore and enhance natural habitats within the urban landscape. For a second time, we have worked closely with Vastint to take what was once a key, industrial centre that has since been abandoned, and help it blossom with a new purpose for the 21st century. Slowly, as the phases of the park are unveiled, the people of Leeds and its visitors are venturing in. There are no fences or barriers, outside of the building plots themselves, and to see a park come first is a rare sight – people are exploring this new urban habitat, on their way to work or study, and increasingly, home. We’re excited to see how the people of Leeds will come together to use the spaces throughout the year but also to monitor the ecological impact that will become evident as the wider park is delivered.