Shopping centre rejects city concerns

White Rose owners Land Securities have unveiled proposals for a multi-million pound expansion of the shopping centre off Dewsbury Road, between Morley and Beeston. The plans include extensions to Debenhams and Primark, a multi-screen cinema, three smaller single-story shops and more restaurants and cafés.

Current planning policies and guidelines support a “centres first approach” – that existing town and city centres should be the focus of office, retail and leisure development, with out-of-town schemes only to be permitted if it can be shown they will not impact on existing centres.

And Leeds Civic Trust has written to Land Securities saying it has a long-standing “centres first approach” when considering new developments.

It raises concerns that expanded Debenhams and Primark stores at White Rose could prove along-term threat to the future of the retailers’ city centre outlets.

The trust says it could only support the White Rose Centre’s expansion if it can be shown that there are no alternative and more appropriate sites in existing retail destinations and that those centres are trading to capacity.

The trust will give its final opinion once the information has been provided.

The contents of the letter were reported to the council’s city plans panel during a pre-application presentation setting out the proposals.

Panel members heard the application, due to be submitted next month or in December, would demonstrate no detrimental impact on other centres.

Gerald Jennings, the portfolio director of Land Securities, said: “Primark and Debenhams have been clear with us that this will have no adverse effect on their stores in Leeds and other centres.”