Talks are being held on proposals to use the grade I-listed Temple Works for a new British Library North.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget on Wednesday (11 March 2020) that funding will be made available to support the British Library’s plans to open a major new site in the centre of Leeds, creating a new British Library North.

Up to £25m will be provided as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

CEG, which is behind the £350m Temple scheme, has confirmed talks are ongoing with Leeds City Council and the British Library are in talks over the use of the Temple Works building for the proposed new facility.

CEG will be speaking at the upcoming West Yorkshire Development Conferences revealing more details of their plans for the scheme. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

The grade I-listed building, built in the Egyptian style by Leeds industrialist John Marshall between 1836 and 1840, was acquired by CEG in early 2018 and forms part of the company’s £350m Temple scheme.

For the past 12 months, CEG has been working with partners to determine ways the building can be made more safe and secure. It has also begun to explore initial possibilities for its future use.

David Hodgson, head of strategic development at CEG, said: “This is great news for Leeds. This ongoing engagement with Temple Works has been made possible through CEG gaining a detailed understanding of the building over the past two years and we look forward to further collaborative working with the Council and the British Library as we continue exploring the iconic building’s future potential.

“We can then build on the engagement and consultation activities we have already started with the local community and other stakeholders to ensure the proposals are truly inclusive for all.”

Councillor Judith Blake, Leeds City Council leader, added: “To have the British Library at Temple Works would be a wonderful addition to the ever-growing and flourishing South Bank area of the city and a great boost for the community of Holbeck. Its proximity to both the existing rail station and the planned HS2 station would also open it up to the rest of the country and bring many more visitors to our city.

“We will continue to work extremely hard with the owners of Temple Works, the CEG Group, and the British Library to both investigate the potential of this incredible building and achieve the extra funding needed for this exciting new scheme to be realised.”

The new library would complement the British Library’s existing home in the city at

Talks are being held on proposals to use the grade I-listed Temple Works for a new British Library North.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his 2020 Budget that funding will be made available to support the British Library’s plans to open a major new site in the centre of Leeds, creating a new British Library North.

Funding of up to £25m will be provided as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

CEG, which is behind the £350m Temple scheme, has confirmed talks are ongoing with Leeds City Council and the British Library are in talks over the use of the Temple Works building for the proposed new facility.

The grade I-listed building, built in the Egyptian Revival style by Leeds industrialist John Marshall between 1836 and 1840, was purchased by CEG in early 2018 and forms part of the company’s £350m Temple scheme.

For the past 12 months, CEG has been working with partners to determine ways the building can be made safer and more secure. It has also begun to explore initial possibilities for its future use.

David Hodgson, head of strategic development at CEG, said: “This is great news for Leeds. This ongoing engagement with Temple Works has been made possible through CEG gaining a detailed understanding of the building over the past two years and we look forward to further collaborative working with the Council and the British Library as we continue exploring the iconic building’s future potential.

“We can then build on the engagement and consultation activities we have already started with the local community and other stakeholders to ensure the proposals are truly inclusive for all.”

Councillor Judith Blake, Leeds City Council leader, added: “To have the British Library at Temple Works would be a wonderful addition to the ever-growing and flourishing South Bank area of the city and a great boost for the community of Holbeck. Its proximity to both the existing rail station and the planned HS2 station would also open it up to the rest of the country and bring many more visitors to our city.

“We will continue to work extremely hard with the owners of Temple Works, the CEG Group, and the British Library to both investigate the potential of this incredible building and achieve the extra funding needed for this exciting new scheme to be realised.”

The new library would complement the British Library’s national newspaper collection at Boston Spa. [/emaillocker]