Very old premises at the bottom of North Street.

[Carl (Roundhay)]

I am sure that in the 80's there was a tailors shop called 'Berts'. I did go in to see him probably circa 1987 and remembers him saying to me that he rarely made men's bespoke suits by then and was now pretty much focused on making theatrical costumes.

Wasn't Northwood House a computer shop in the early 80's? Probably one of the first in Leeds I think. They used to specialize in BBC computers iirc.

[Leodian]

I thought (hope ) that these 3 photos may be of interest of the ongoing work at the site. I took the photos on January 26 2015. The work does seem to be progressing slowly.

[j.c.d.]

In the late fifties when Bookmakers shop were illegal on those premises in the picture there was upstairs a Billiard Hall /Bookmakers and among the shops below were two Antique dealers / Book makers. the gambling was strictly in the back premises. there were also numerous betting premises off Meanwood Road and North Street, all out of sight. my brother managed the betting office in the Billiard hall and every now and then they would be raided, he would be arrested and bailed to appear at the Town Hall the following morning, usually fined about four quid and straight back down to the office to continue taking bets, this was accepted as normal in those times. The owner paid the fine.

[RobH]

The waste land behind the row of shops has been advertised for sale as a "mixed use development opportunity" for at least 10 years, presumably with no takers. I wonder if the owners have been hoping to sell off the whole plot and let someone potentially knock down the buildings and start afresh.

The land is pretty close to the city centre, but there are plenty of empty lots around sheepscar trading estate. I I guess it must be hard to sell that sort of land, or even find long-term tenants in that area, especially once the buildings fall into disrepair.

There is a prominent circular-fronted building, closer into town on the junction of North Street and New York Road, which has been pretty much empty for 15 years if not more. If they can't shift that building, which is basically on the edge of the city centre, then it's no surprise that they struggle to find a use for this row of buildings.

[scrabblerz]

They have just installed new shop frontages and security rollers on these shops , also a 2 storey contractors office has been put upin the car park . New building or refurbishing the corner building ?

[Leodian]

They have just installed new shop frontages and security rollers on these shops , also a 2 storey contractors office has been put upin the car park . New building or refurbishing the corner building ?

Hi scrabblerz . That's interesting. Passing by on Feb 25 I noticed that the derelict area by Meanwood Road behind the shops now has security fencing round it.

[Leodian]

This is a photo that I took on March 19 2015 showing the renovated frontage of the premises on North Street. Their insides though are still being worked on.

[LS1]

Looks good. Would only be proper to see that part of Leeds rejuvenated properly.

[mhoulden]

On the vacant lot behind the buildings Magnet Kitchens have made an application for a new showroom: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/onlin ... DR4JB17S00. There's a plan of the site here and it looks like there was a lot of toing and froing to make sure enough of Meanwood Beck is uncovered so it doesn't affect wildlife.

The area obviously isn't going to be another Victoria Quarter, but a kitchen showroom and some shops should make it a bit more attractive than just having a taxi office and private shop there.

[Brunel]

The gap or archway,(second photo down) it is where the beck flows underground to cross North St.


Also... the photos here. http://secretleeds.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 9&start=60