'Build tram to Elland Road', urges Leeds director

A tram link should be built between Elland Road and Leeds city centre, a Leeds United director has said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, Pete Lowy said a transport connection to and from the club's home ground would be crucial to regeneration for the south Leeds area.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has pledged to build a mass transit system for the region, but in December it emerged the scheme would be delayed by several years.

Lowy, who sits on the Leeds United board and is the principal of the Lowy Family Group investment firm, said the club and politicians were "aligned" but he needed to "push" on the issue.

In a wide-ranging interview, Australian-born Lowy said work on the expansion of Elland Road had "already started" and would continue regardless of the mass transit system plans.

In January, the club was granted planning permission to expand their home ground to 53,000 seats.

But Lowy said the club wanted to make it easier for fans to get to games from the city centre, with many supporters having to walk two miles to Elland Road from the heart of Leeds.

"A stadium of the size we're going to build, and a club of our size, needs to be able to get people there quickly, easily and have them spend time there," he said.

"We need a system where we can move people in and out simply and efficiently.

"Not only that, but that kind of transportation will open up the whole area of south Leeds."

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) had hoped to have trams running on lines in Leeds and Bradford by the early 2030s, but in December it was revealed this would not happen until later in the decade.

Brabin described the delay as a "bump in the road", with the government having told regional leaders to take a more thorough approach to developing the scheme.

Lowy said that if political leaders could put the "infrastructure" of a mass transit system in place, then it could trigger between "£1bn and £2bn" of private investment to redevelop the land around Elland Road.

The plans would involve about 2,000 new homes, as well as leisure, retail and office space.

However, Lowy warned that a link, which he said should also run to South Leeds' White Rose Shopping Centre, needed to be created in a "timely manner".

"What we need is the political class to get its act together. There's a lot of work to be done," he said.

"It will take a number of years. But it's 2026 and we're used to long timelines."

Brabin said: "We in West Yorkshire are united in our ambition to finally bring a mass transit system to our region.

"We have the backing we need and remain absolutely resolute on our mission to deliver.

"Working in lockstep with the government and our partners, we will see spades in the ground by 2028."

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