Heritage at Risk Top 10 – Following on from our article on Roundhay Park’s South Gate Lodges in the June edition of Outlook, this month we will be providing a brief update on 40 and 42 The Calls (formerly Fletland Mills), a building situated in the heart of the city on the banks of the River Aire.
In March 2024, I described the dormant state of this former 4-star boutique hotel in a short piece for our member’s newsletter. At the time, early signs of deterioration were becoming evident from the exterior of the building which had also been heavily secured with boarding, no doubt to protect the interior from unwanted visitors. Previously granted planning and listed building consents to refurbish the hotel had long since lapsed having failed to be implemented, and so the building stood waiting.
In the autumn of 2024, a newly erected for sale banner caught my attention and I remember thinking at the time, could this be a potential sign of things to come for this boarded up and seemingly forgotten property? Earlier this year, news reached our Heritage Watch Group that the building had indeed been sold and that a potential new use might well be on the horizon (subject to the necessary permissions and consents, of course).
In recent weeks, I have passed the building en route to several Leeds Civic Trust events and meetings, and sadly, there are no outward signs of progress. The boarded up windows and doors remain secure, with an increasing number of artistic contributions from those handy with a can of spray paint! The building is generally blighted by a lack of care and general maintenance, but overall the structure appears reasonably sound with no major causes for concern.
Our Heritage Watch Group continues to keep their ear to the ground for news of further developments and our members who also serve the Trust’s Planning Committee are on the lookout any new planning or listed building consent applications relating to the building. We are hopeful that plans for the future of this Grade II-listed building (List Entry Number 1255929) will soon come into the public domain providing us, and other interested parties, the opportunity to carefully consider their content.
Clare Chapman
Heritage Watch Group Chair
