Holbeck Viaduct

Leeds, UK

Holbeck Viaduct has stood unused and overgrown since the 1980s. The 1.6km stretch of stranded railway infrastructure, just 10 minutes walking distance from Leeds railway station, cuts a swathe of abandonment through the city.

But the Victorian viaduct also retains a key strategic route, linking the city centre to Holbeck, Elland Road and Wortley. Members of the local community see the potential for the viaduct as a prime opportunity for placemaking regeneration, particularly given the increasing number of high-profile developments in the vicinity, through CEG for example, that are bringing social and economic vibrancy back to the area.

For more than two decades, a community interest company (CIC) has campaigned for the viaduct’s redevelopment as a public recreation space.

The group has a vision to transform the viaduct into a “park in the sky”, aiming to provide much needed access to green space for the community as well as potential for an active travel route from the city centre to Elland Road and more, all striving to promote health and wellbeing coupled with localised benefits to amenities and biodiversity.

Similar projects around the world have set precedents and been shown to create wide-reaching benefits from redevelopment, namely New York’s High Line which is also a Buro Happold project.

The project could see the repurposing of a Victorian railway viaduct as a green corridor and linear community park.

The 1.6km, 92-arch stretch of stranded railway infrastructure has stood unused since the 1980s.

Through our SOS initiative and with the help of industry experts, Buro Happold’s Young Engineers Forum (YEF) are supporting a community-led group’s project to transform the site into a public green space.

A community survey, part of the South Bank Leeds Regeneration Framework Consultation, found 50% of locals cited lack of green space as a key challenge for the district.

Challenge

Buro Happold’s Share Our Skills (SOS) initiative allows employees to carry out non-fee-paying project work during regular work time. The aim is to support those who want to offer their skills and experience to those who need it most. Employees can apply for a share of an annual ‘time-pot’ to carry out the work required for a suitable project.

Established in 2014, Share Our Skills annually awards 200 staff days to support our employees in making such initiatives happen all over the world. Every six months, our people are invited to submit project proposals to the SOS committee. The initiative enables employees to pursue their passions and make a positive contribution to society.

In late 2021, a group of infrastructure, sustainability, MEP and structural engineering members of Buro Happold’s Leeds office Young Engineers Forum (YEF) began to assist the Holbeck Viaduct community interest company (CIC) in developing short-term objectives to help deliver on the long-term vision – that would look to bring life back to the redundant viaduct.

Initial conversations with the CIC led to understanding the need to establish a ‘meanwhile’ space (development of a short ‘sample’ section of the full viaduct as proof of concept) which would build momentum behind the project and showcase the potential vision and benefits for the viaduct’s redevelopment.

Any intervention for the ‘meanwhile’ space would need to be temporary in nature and completely reversible, as it is likely ownership would remain with Network Rail even in the long-term. Key challenges include securing interest and funding for the long-term vision, as well as community feedback so that it is reflected in the final design.

Additional concerns include creating safe and inclusive access from ground level to the circa 8.0m high viaduct, wind comfort and mitigation methods, and environmental constraints for planning and unlocking funding for the ‘meanwhile’ space and future works.

Solution

A number of possible uses for the viaduct have been suggested by the CIC and residents, including a community garden, green walkway, arts space, park, cycle path, events hub, public allotment, café, music venue, viewing platform, or other community-focused project.

The multidisciplinary Buro Happold team is providing an advisory role in helping to progress a single vision for the regeneration of the site. Our YEF members conducted a visual inspection of the fabric of the viaduct’s arches and developed an initial feasibility sketchbook to present to the CIC.

The sketchbook examined opportunities and constraints in transforming the viaduct while developing some initial design concepts and how they might be implemented. We looked at a range of potential constraints, such as accessibility, wind exposure, fire engineering, parapet / balustrade heights and public safety interventions, people flow considerations, and implications for the existing site ecology. This allowed for early engagement with the CIC team and started conversations on wider constructability and cost challenges.

Timescale and costs led largely to the decision to focus on creating a 60m “meanwhile space” to demonstrate the greater potential for the project to the city and railway authorities, plus encouraging community engagement and feedback.

As well as taking inspiration from The High Line in New York, the team also brought key understandings of this kind of urban regeneration, through Buro Happold’s involvement in other similar projects in the UK, such as the Folkestone Harbour regeneration.

The key accessibility challenge was how people would get up on to the viaduct. A solution would need to be both temporary, but also robust, and would need to incorporate a temporary lift structure to enable inclusive access for all users.

An options appraisal was carried out looking at a range of access opportunities from contemporary ideas to more practical short-term solutions. This showed that using stacked shipping containers although an eye-catching approach had large cost implications as well as complex and bespoke design elements.

However, there is potential for this to be taken forward in the long-term. Instead, a more cost-effective and adaptable solution would be a simple scaffolding staircase with encased lift that could be hired and easily erected and dismantled on site, improved aesthetically by addition of a green wall and vibrant branding / lighting.

Being able to tap into Buro Happold’s global network has allowed the YEF team to advise the CIC on more than just design elements related to the short-term ‘meanwhile’ space. This became critical in developing relationships, furthering the project and knowledge-sharing conversations, from liaising with National Trust through C:Lab involvement to bringing on G&T as cost consultants.

Value

In the wake of recent successes for green urban redevelopment in the north, with the likes of Castlefield Viaduct and Mayfield, the vision for the adaptive reuse of this robust piece of Victorian infrastructure provides an exciting opportunity to create a community-focused green corridor through the city. Our multidisciplinary team brings a range of expertise and experience to continue in helping shape and solidify the community’s ambitions.

With its 92 brick-built archways, set against Holbeck and the surrounding area’s rich industrial heritage, the site brings a distinctive cultural aesthetic to its social, economic and environmental value – all of which are yet to be unlocked.

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