BAM’s commitment in the community arena

The company building the Leeds Arena is developing a £100,000 garden in a deprived area of Leeds as part of its commitment to the local community.

BAM is project managing a team of volunteers to create an urban garden for residents in Harehills, north of the city centre.

The garden is being built at Shine Harehills, a social enterprise which was founded by American Todd Hannula.

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The space, which measures about 2,152 sq ft, includes a concrete ampitheatre, commissioned artwork and bench areas.

BAM is using its supply chain, including paving specialist Marshalls, from the Leeds Arena to provide materials free of charge.

In addition, the project is providing work experience and training for 10 out-of-work volunteers and students.

Anthony Heaton, BAM’s environmental and community co-ordinator, said: “We have certain corporate social responsibility targets to achieve as part of our commitment to the building of Leeds Arena and Construction Yorkshire put us in touch with Shine.

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Students from Leeds Metropolitan University had already created a basic design for a garden as part of their final year project and it sounded like a great development to get involved in.”

He added: “We run it like a standard BAM project but on a much smaller basis.”

One key difference is that the workforce is more fluid than a standard project. “We don’t have 10 people on site every day, it might be five or six, because they all have different commitments,” Mr Heaton said.

He added: “It’s very difficult to organise or plan work for a certain day or week because on that day you might suddenly realise you’ve only got two lads on site. It would be much more organised with a proper project.”

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The project started last month and is due to complete in mid-March.

It is designed to boost a densely populated area of the city.

Mr Heaton said: “Harehills is a difficult area. It is quite hustle and bustle as well as ethnically diverse. I wasn’t sure if it would work at first but we have had no trouble and the locals are really keen to see development in the area.

“It’s important to BAM as part of its contract to build Leeds Arena that the local community experiences a positive impact from that development.”

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The £60m Leeds Arena, on Clay Pit Lane, is beginning to take shape. Foundations have been laid, the structure is going up and its starting to look like a venue that will play host to a capacity audience of 13,500.

Experts estimate the project will create more than 450 jobs and generate £25m a year for the Leeds economy. The regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, is contributing £10m to the cost of the scheme, with the remainder coming from Leeds City Council. The long-awaited entertainment venue is expected to attract one million visitors a year when it finally opens its doors next year.