Morley councillors add backing to White Rose expansion plans
THE White Rose Centre expansion could create 1,000 jobs according to Morley councillors who have thrown their weight behind the scheme.
Plans which include the creation of a 10-screen cinema, four restaurants and more retail space have been examined by the new City Plans Panel, a cross-party body set up to examine large scale planning applications.
The pre-application meeting was a chance for the White Rose, its parent company Land Securities and for councillors and planning officers to share their views and ideas before a formal application is submitted later this year.
Coun Robert Finnigan said: “From my point of view, we are fully supporting the application. Why? Primarily because it has the real potential to generate up to 1,000 new jobs and we know, because we will make sure they are obtained via legal agreements, and that a vast proportion of the jobs will go to local residents.”
When the White Rose was last expanded Leeds City Council negotiated an agreement whereby local contractors would benefit and links were forged with local schools and job centres.
Coun Finnigan said monitoring showed that, as a result, nearly 50 per cent of the jobs created went to people living in the immediate area.
“If we project that, this time that means 400 to 500 jobs coming the way of local residents, so it is a good news story and we want to make sure that local people benefit.”
He added however, that they had concerns that the expansion of the centre onto areas now covered by car parks should not lead to parking problems and that highway improvements be put in place to ensure congestion on Dewsbury Road is not increased.
Land Securities has also been asked to fund public transport improvements.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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