The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has re-committed £10m to help breathe fresh life into Holbeck’s historic Grade I Listed Temple Works building, paving the way for it to become the home of a new British Library North.
The announcement was made following a visit by Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner MP, last month.
The grant was originally awarded from the Department for Levelling Up’s £100m culture regeneration budget towards the end of last government. The incoming Labour government said they were “minded to withdraw” from the scheme last autumn.
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:
“The British Library North project aims to create a world-class space for learning, research, exhibitions and events that would unlock the huge potential of Temple Works and boost the ongoing regeneration of the wider Holbeck and South Bank areas.
“It is therefore really welcome news that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has confirmed that, following a consultation, this £10m of funding is now in place to support the process of bringing the Temple Works building into public ownership and back into use.
“We have worked hard in recent months with partners, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Homes England and the British Library itself, to make the case for this funding.
“Together we were able to emphasise the importance of the scheme and the economic and social benefits it would bring to Leeds, West Yorkshire and the North, not least through engagement and connections with local communities.
“We were very pleased to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to Temple Works last week so she could see first-hand what this remarkable heritage asset is all about.
“We will now continue to work alongside partners on detailed plans for the full funding, design and development of a project that remains a complex and challenging undertaking, but one that offers a major regeneration opportunity for both Temple Works and the surrounding area.”
Developer CEG bought the iconic flax mill built by John Marshall in the 1840s in 2017. They had already spent £3.5m by 2021 on survey and safety work to understand the unorthodox building.
As part of the devolution deal in 2020 that saw the creation of the West Yorkshire Mayor, £25m was earmarked to site British Library North in Leeds, with Temple Works the preferred location. £5m of that was drawn down in 2021 for stabilisation works to the building.
In 2022 Historic England awarded the project £1m for repairs to the roof and to the Counting house. Last year the Gate Lodge was fully restored, a prototype for the masonry repair of the Mill’s east elevation. The full cost of regenerating Temple Works is estimated to be £70m.
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds City Council
Image: CGI of the refurbished Temple Works
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