At the heart of innovation
Creating a new innovation village for Leeds
The first stage of the new Leeds hospitals development – the demolition of old buildings on the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) site – is almost complete and is already revealing how the site will bring positive improvements in healthcare as well as being a catalyst for the regeneration of the city centre.
Anyone who works at LGI, or who has been a patient or visitor, will know it is a large hospital occupying an extensive site and incorporating the current Leeds Children’s Hospital. A mix of old and new, the site brings together some of the most historic buildings in Leeds - like the original Victorian Infirmary designed by celebrated architect Sir George Gilbert Scott - with contemporary, bold designs like the new cardiac Hybrid Theatre at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Yet, a sizeable amount of the old estate at Leeds General Infirmary cannot be used for modern patient care because it isn’t up to today’s exacting healthcare standards. Other parts of the site will become redundant when the new hospitals are built.
Our new hospitals will create the opportunity for us to redevelop our old hospital estate as a world-class hub for research, innovation and technology in life sciences, and bring about direct and wider economic benefits of up to £11.2bn in net present value terms and 3,000 jobs.
The Future LGI Development Project aims to release the potential of this estate – around five hectares in total – to create a new Innovation Village in Leeds. This redevelopment opportunity offers exceptional opportunities for mixed use development as well as a chance to sympathetically redevelop some of the wonderful heritage buildings on the site and bring them back to life.
The Innovation Village is a key site in Leeds City Council’s ‘Innovation Arc’ which is a collection of four neighbourhoods across the city that will benefit from improved transport links, new green space, to improve collaboration and innovation across the city. This is an exciting, strategic partnership between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Beckett University, the University of Leeds, Leeds City Council and the private sector to drive regeneration, innovation and economic growth for Leeds and the wider region.
