Council leader tells site objectors arena debate is over

Conservative councillor Andrew Carter, joint leader of Leeds Council, said he was "bemused" by letter writers who have criticised the city centre site at Claypit Lane, near the Merrion Centre.

Chosen by Leeds Council over two less central sites at Elland Road and Sweet Street, the Claypit Lane site has been criticised as too prone to traffic congestion and parking problems.

But Coun Carter said the central location made it better than any other.

He said: "The site is the most central location of any of the options investigated. The positive economic impact of the site far outweighs that of any of the other sites considered, that is simply because it will bring through the city centre the majority of visitors to the Arena, giving them easy access to shops, restaurants, bars, which in itself will give a massive boost to the local economy.

"Some people, of course, seem to have got themselves thoroughly worked up about the traffic impact. They should remember that not everybody will be coming by car.

"The Arena site is within walking distance of the majority of the student population of the city, the site is within a 10- minute walk of every major city centre car park and can also easily be accessed from the main railway station and the bus station."

He said thousands of people visited the city centre for other events.

"Throughout the year the city centre hosts numerous events which

attract thousands of people. The switch-on of the Christmas lights, for example, has an attendance of well over 30,000 heading for three times as large as the capacity of the Arena."

Coun Carter said recent letters to newspapers had an "orchestrated" feel about them and would be "music to the ears no doubt of previously interested parties whose proposals for the Arena were inadequate and unaffordable."

He added: "By the end of 2012 we will have a 13,000 capacity state-of-the-art popular music venue to rival any in the UK on a sustainable site that will be of huge benefit to the future economic prosperity of the city and all its residents."

Last year almost 10m of funding for the arena was pledged by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, prompting unfair competition claims from Sheffield and its arena