John Richards, a solicitor with a small practice in North Leeds, was chairman of Leeds Civic Trust during a period when Leeds was experiencing its most sustained development boom for almost a hundred years. They were heady times of expansion for both the city and the Trust. During his chairmanship the Trust grew tremendously and enjoyed great success.
I first encountered John in the 1980s when he attended my History of Leeds evening class at the Swarthmore Centre. Thereafter he became closely involved in the Trust becoming a member of its Council in 1991 and subsequently chairing its Events Committee. In 1998 he became the chairman of the Trust’s Council for six years. He remained on Council until 2010 around the time he moved to Knaresborough.
He excelled as Trust chairman. We had an excellent rapport and shared a great ambition to grow the Trust. He was particularly good in helping shape strategic policy and identifying priorities for our activities in a period when there was a huge need for us to comment on a flood of planning applications for major developments in the city. At the same time we continued to extend our heritage activities and campaign for new and better cultural facilities.
During those years the change in the city centre advanced at a phenomenal rate. Café society emerged in The Calls with the conversion of the Assembly Rooms and the Third White Cloth Hall into restaurants with outdoor seating. City centre living progressed apace with apartments housed in new and converted buildings on the Waterfront. The Round Foundry development was completed and the Dark Arches became a ‘Festival Market’. Millennium Square was commenced and completed. At Quarry Hill the Northern Ballet Theatre and new BBC Headquarters were built. In the early 2000s the skyline of Leeds was dominated by cranes. By 2003 work on Clarence Dock and Brewery Wharf was well underway, the Carriageworks Theatre was under construction in Millennium Square; smart new hotels were opening and with its exciting new retail developments, often in adapted heritage buildings, Briggate was flourishing and the city centre was dubbed ‘the Knightsbridge of the North’. The government even gave the Leeds Supertram the go ahead (though later to backtrack). In 2001 Leeds’ first skyscraper, Bridgewater Place, was given planning approval.
Amidst this breathless development climate the Trust, with its very limited financial resources and just one part-time office administrator and a part-time Director, needed to respond if it was to play an effective role in influencing development in the city. John’s outgoing and upbeat character and his sociability and great ability as a ‘glad hander’ was ideally suited to the heady property boom years. He was tremendously good at advocating for the growth of the Trust and helping bolster its finances. During his chairmanship corporate membership of the Trust more than doubled from 40 city businesses and institutions to over 90 – a level only recently regained by the Trust today. In this achievement businessman and Council member, Ted Hanley played a major role.
John was shameless in charming and enticing city businesses to become corporate members, and it was in this period that the Trust’s Corporate Lunches at Wharf Street began. The financial support from city business was a crucial factor in helping the growth of the Trust, and it should be noted that it was through John’s good offices that Philip Snaith left the Trust a legacy which remains important to the Trust today.
Indeed, it was John’s confidence that we could boost the future income of the Trust that when in spring 2000 two outstanding graduate candidates turned up for interview for the vacant post of Office Administrator, he agreed to my bold spur of the moment suggestion that we should appoint them both – Dorte Haarhaus and Julia Timmins. This transformed our administrative support as did his backing for me becoming full-time a couple of years later. Meanwhile our small army of talented and committed volunteers grew substantially, indeed our Planning Committee grew to almost 20 members.
John enjoyed the rough and tumble we engaged in with property developers, and while encouraging good relations and partnership with Leeds City Council, he matched me in robustness in his readiness to call out the Council when he felt it was deficient in its public consultation on strategic development or lacked ambition and initiative in enhancing the city’s cultural amenities. His introductions to our Annual Reports in those years make fascinating reading.
But in particular John really enjoyed the softer side of the Trust’s work – particularly our blue plaques scheme which flourished with 48 unveilings during his chairmanship. Likewise, he greatly enjoyed and encouraged our guided supper walk programme, our Awaydays visiting other cities, and the growing success of Leeds Heritage Open Days.
Above all, he revelled in presiding at the Trust’s tremendously successful Spirit of Leeds Awards lunches commenced while he was chairman. They were held at the Queen’s Hotel with over 300 diners including Trust members and the great and the good of the city. High-profile speakers included Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, former government minister David Mellor, and journalist and TV personality Janet Street Porter. These high-profile events demonstrated that Leeds Civic Trust (a small voluntary organisation) was now able to match Leeds Chamber of Commerce in its status and influence in the city.
The years of John’s chairmanship were heady and exciting. I have absolutely no doubt that for him they must have been one of the highlights of his life, not least because the role allowed him to use his talents to the full. Though it is more than 15 years since John played an active role in our work, his important contribution still significantly benefits the Trust today.
Dr Kevin Grady, Director of Leeds Civic Trust 1987-2016
