Critical Reception On Leeds' Architecture
In 1968 John Betjeman made a television film called A Poet Goes North in which he gave his opinion on the changing architecture of Leeds. Betjeman described the constant sound of falling Victorian architecture. Betjeman also lambasted British Railways House (now City House) saying it blocked all the light out to City Square and was only a testament to money and had no architectural merit of its own. Betjeman also praised Leeds Town Hall in the film. The film, which was never broadcast at the time, was preserved by Leeds Civic Trust and has been restored by the Yorkshire Film Archive. It was screened as part of the Leeds International Film Festival in 2008
Architect and critic Maxwell Hutchinson has attracted controversy in his criticism of recent architectural developments in Leeds, most notably Clarence Dock. In referring to Leeds' plans for the future, Hutchinson said "there are worrying signs that Yorkshire is about to make the same mistakes that we have made in London over 20 years ago". Hutchinson also criticised the dearth of services in the city centre, referring to its lack of schools and health care facilities. Hutchinson also described the Clarence Dock development as "the slums of the future". These claims were explored on the BBC television programme, Inside Out. Hutchinson claimed that Leeds needed an iconic building like Manchester's The Lowry or Gateshead's The Sage. However he claimed that the redevelopment of older buildings around The Calls "could compete with anywhere in Europe for the quality and sensitivity of its design."
The Guardian architecture critic Owen Hatherley lamented post-millennium architecture in Leeds and bemoaned the weak planning system for allowing a wave of "astoundingly cheap-looking architecture" in the city. Hatherley points to Sky Plaza as a prime example.
Read more about this topic: Architecture Of Leeds
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