'Urgent works' go-ahead - 16 months after building collapse

Contractors have been hired to carry out urgent repairs on a historic street-16 months after a building collapsed.

- by Don Mort

Leeds City Council said safety works in Lower Kirkgate, one the city's oldest streets, could start by the end of this month. The road has been closed to traffic since April 2024, when one of the 18th-century buildings partially caved in. A legal notice was served on the owner and up to £700,000 of council funds was set aside for emergency maintenance.

The council said a 16-week repairs programme will now be carried out by building firm Geo Houlton and Sons, at a cost of £414,500.