Repairs on crumbling street could start next month

Repairs to crumbling buildings on a busy city street could start next month, a year after one of them collapsed.

Leeds City Council said it had been given the legal authority to carry out structural work on properties on Lower Kirkgate as the owners "do not intend to carry out the repairs".

It is one of the oldest streets in Leeds and has been closed to traffic since one of the buildings partially caved in last April.

A council spokesperson said it recognised the street closure had been a "source of frustration and concern for local people".

Notice was first served last December on owners City Fusion Ltd, giving the company 28 days to take action.

The deadline had to be delayed after it emerged that ownership of five of the buildings had been transferred to another company, Kirkgate Land Residential Ltd.

The council then served urgent works notices (UWNs) on them, requiring repairs to be started by 12 March.

As the deadline has passed, the council can repair six unsafe buildings on the street and reclaim the cost, estimated at around £700,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said a building contractor and structural engineer were now involved in drawing up repair plans.

A spokesperson said: "It is hoped there will be a start on site as soon as next month, with updates on expected timescales to be provided in due course.

"As previously confirmed, the council intends to seek recovery of the cost of carrying out the work from the owners of the buildings."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.