The development of a £3.4m ‘Inland Port’ could provide huge benefits to Leeds and the further West Yorkshire region. The proposed scheme, which could see 200,000 tonnes of traffic taken off Yorkshire roads, would help ease congestion in the city, reducing air pollution, and providing an overall better quality of life for those in the area.

The Inland Port would see freight travel from the Humber Estuary to Leeds via the River Aire and Calder Navigation, using the current canal sections already in place. It’s thought that the freight could provide vital materials for flagship developments in the city – such as the impending arrival of HS2 and regeneration of Leeds South Bank which will see the city centre double in size over the next 10-15 years. The facility, proposed for Stourton, would be able to deal with non-perishable freight such as aggregates, timber, oil and steel.

Along with the environmental and health benefits of using water to transfer goods it could also be a big boost for congestion which is seen as a major issue in the City currently.

The development site, owned by the Canal & River Trust, would aim to complete the construction 18 months from funding officially being awarded and it would move 200,000 tonnes of freight from road to water within the first year. Removing the quantities off the road would have a massive benefit to the environment – cutting carbon emissions from road vehicles by 100 tonnes within the first three years and it could create around 16 new jobs.

Outline planning permission was initially given the green light however it expired in April – but the Canal & River Trust will now submit another application to Leeds City Council now that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority agreed to move the scheme forward onto their investment programme at a meeting this week. It was one of ten schemes worth a total of £383m added to the investment programme which will be discussed when they speak at our West Yorkshire Economic Growth Conference in September.

The project could help enable some of the biggest projects coming into the city – such as the transformation of Leeds South Bank, the new train station being developed in the city for HS2 and the regeneration of Hunslet Riverside.

A report by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority says that water-borne freight is becoming more commercially viable whilst also having several environmental benefits saying: ”Due to increased congestion freight on water is again becoming an attractive proposition for certain goods. The Canal & River Trust has undertaken a strategic review of its commercial waterways, and has concluded that the Aire & Calder Navigation that are already in use, but the Trust’s ambition is to bring freight back into Leeds City Centre. Work completed to date by the Canal & River Trust and Transport for the North has revealed that there is a demand to move cargoes such as aggregates, timber, oil, and steel by water. Delivering a fit for purpose wharf in Leeds could make this a reality. Given the pressures that Leeds City Region is currently facing around traffic congestion and air quality, the use of waterbourne freight could bring both commercial, environmental and health benefits.”

Infrastructure is set to be a key topic at our annual West Yorkshire Economic Growth Conference where we’ll be hearing from the likes of UBER, Leeds Bradford Airport, Network Rail and Transport for the North. It’ll be interesting to see how the Canal network can be linked into economic growth within West Yorkshire – JOIN US THERE.