Repair costs for collapsed building on Leeds Lower Kirkgate rise to £680k
Leeds City Council is set to award a contract worth £680,000 for urgent maintenance on Lower Kirkgate, one of the city’s oldest streets.
Last updated 13th Aug 2026
The cost of carrying out delayed repairs on a historic street has risen by more than £260,000.
Leeds City Council is set to award a contract worth £680,000 for urgent maintenance on Lower Kirkgate, one of the city’s oldest streets.
The road near the Corn Exchange has been closed to traffic since April 2024, when one of the 18th century buildings partially caved in.
A legal notice was served on the owner and council funds were set aside for repairs.
Last September the council said a 16-week repairs programme would be carried out by building firm Geo Houlton and Sons, at a cost of £414,500.
Now the expected cost has increased after surveys were carried out on the buildings.
A council spokesperson said: “The revised price reflects changes to the designs for the scheme that were made following structural surveys and ground condition checks carried out as part of this year’s preparatory activity.
“An independent cost consultant has confirmed that, given the location and nature of the work to be undertaken, the revised price is a reasonable one.”
The work was now expected to take 20 weeks and could start next month.
The council said it was planning to recover the cost of the repairs after issuing an Urgent Works Notice on the private owners of the buildings.
The spokesperson said the preparatory works included replacement hoardings around the site.
They said: “These privately-owned buildings are important heritage assets and, as such, the work that is needed to stabilise them has involved extremely complex planning.
“We recognise that, to the casual observer, progress on site to date may appear limited.
“But we would assure local residents and businesses that, behind the scenes, every effort has been made to resolve the scheme’s various design challenges as quickly and efficiently as possible.”