Leeds council approves plans for city centre department store

Blueprints for the £130m Victoria Gate scheme in Leeds city centre, as well as the £400m Thorpe Park business and retail park in east Leeds, were given the green light at a meeting of councillors yesterday.

The approval for Victoria Gate – which includes a flagship John Lewis store – means construction work on phase one can start next spring.

The city centre mall is expected to open in autumn 2016.

Joe Swindells, project director for Victoria Gate developers Hammerson, said the go-ahead was “a major next step towards getting construction under way”.

“We are fully committed to creating a retail development that will not only reaffirm Leeds’s status as a top retail destination for luxury and aspirational brands in the UK, but will also add value to Leeds’s local economy and community,” he said.

The Thorpe Park project will now be passed to Ministers for ultimate approval.