Has Holbeck's renaissance been left forgotten by the recession?

DLG Architects said efforts to regenerate Holbeck Urban Village, located south of Leeds city centre, had not been completed and there was no consistency within the project.

It cited high rents, incomplete public spaces and unfinished links to the city centre as problem areas within the development.

Julian Monaghan, senior partner, at the firm, which is based in Marshall's Mill, said: "We have seen a dramatic change over the last five or six years, and our concern is that the council has focused a lot on Holbeck but now efforts seem to have moved away. The concern is that the initiative is not being followed through."

DLG Architects, the firm behind The Light shopping centre and cinema complex in Leeds, moved into Marshall Mill 10 years ago, just before the area began to be regenerated.

Andrew Gardner, a partner at DLG, said: "The residential market, which helped to regenerate the area, has taken a major step back and a lot of other developments that were going to be built on the back of that were stalled."

Mr Gardner said empty sites which should been filled with office buildings and apartments have been filled with cheap car parking, which stopped the sites being used for development.

Mr Monaghan added that the biggest landlord, Igloo Regeneration, had only recently begun to reduce rents, in line with other developments in the city. But many tenants had already moved out.

"The reality in terms of rental levels is that people have voted with their feet and moved out," he said. "Igloo are reacting very slowly. Very few people are coming in."

He added: "We accept that things have slowed down but the issue going forward is will people come back to invest in Holbeck?"

Developer Igloo insisted its rents were competitive with other similar developments and that it remained committed to Holbeck.

Director Paul Simmons said: "In the last year, we have lost five tenants but retained or gained eight. We have only lost about three per cent of our floor space.

"Some of our largest tenants, such as Orange, have moved out, but it's not been as significant as people think.

"The investment opportunities are still very good. Igloo wants to continue its investment there and keep the level of activity up."

Last year, Leeds City Council published a report, which aimed to support developers and businesses in Holbeck through the recession.

The Investing for the Future document, which sets out objectives to 2011, said hospitality businesses have experienced a dramatic reduction in sales due to lower footfall, while client companies are also cutting their website design and PR budgets, which provide the bulk of the work for firms in the creative and digital sectors.

The report adds: "It is vital that development continues in the urban village and momentum is maintained to reassure leaders and investors and encourage further development."

Colin Mawhinney, head of the renaissance unit at Leeds City Council, insisted building work had continued throughout the recession in the area around Granary Wharf and Tower Works.

But he acknowledged that some developments have not come to fruition.

"Some of the projects have slipped – not through a lack of commitment but because there is a lack of confidence in the property market," he said.

He promised to set up a working group of tenants in the next three months.

He added: "We have all made a major investment in this area and its in our interest to keep that up. Property investment has fallen through the floor and that is the reality, but when you compare it to other regeneration schemes, it compares favourably and will continue to do so.

"There are 130 businesses in this area and we want to keep them."