The Ridings set to get a new lease of life
Monday, November 09, 2026
The Ridings is set for a new future as a vibrant leisure-led destination – keeping it at the heart of Wakefield city centre.
The Council’s Cabinet will consider new plans for The Ridings to be transformed with more leisure, hospitality, entertainment, and cultural uses. All running alongside the successful independent retailers who currently occupy the centre.
The plan has been shaped by feedback from over 3,000 people who had their say on the future of the city centre over the summer.
“We promised that before we made any decision about The Ridings, we would give residents and businesses the chance to have their say.
“Thousands of you did over summer. You’ve given us a clear direction – that we share – for a more vibrant city centre with more things to do, more places to visit, and more reasons to stay longer.
“Giving The Ridings a new purpose as a vibrant leisure destination will do just that. Our plan will inject a new lease of life into the centre and deliver the cafés, restaurants, bars, leisure attractions and cultural activities that complement retail.
“As we deliver this, we’ll be supporting our existing retailers in the centre along the way. As well as always making sure our plans complement the wider offer we’ve got right across our city.”
Cllr Karl Johnson
Leader of Wakefield Council
The next step to deliver this vision will be to appoint an independent specialist adviser to develop a new commercial plan for The Ridings. This will be focused on retaining the centre’s current strengths. Attracting new leisure and hospitality operators. And mapping out any building work and the wider financial implications of any plans.
Cllr Johnson added: “Anything we do has to work in the long-term. I’ve been very clear that we won’t spend money we can’t afford to. The plan needs to financially stack up and not put Council budgets at risk. I am confident that together we can build an exciting next chapter for The Ridings and deliver something that we can all get behind.”
If the report is approved, it will formally end the previous Cathedral Quarter proposal agreed in February 2026. This will mean that the properties which are not part of The Ridings but were within the boundary of the original plan will no longer be affected by the new proposals being put forward.
The city centre tower blocks owned by Vico Homes were also included in the footprint of the original plan. These buildings are not part of the Council’s new plans outlined in the Cabinet report. As a result of the previous decision approved in February, Vico Homes has been progressing the decant and vacation of these blocks. Supporting customers to find alternative homes in and around the city centre. The Council understands this will continue.
Work to build over 200 new affordable homes in Wakefield’s Kirkgate Gateway will continue. A planning application is expected to be submitted in 2027 that will focus on designing high-quality homes to complement the affordable housing scheme at Chantry roundabout.
As part of a new vision for the city centre, the Council’s regeneration partner Muse will shift its focus to create a major new Northern Gateway development. Located on and around the Borough Road car park.
Cllr Johnson explained: “The north of our city centre has incredible potential. These proposals look to capitalise on that, with a distinctive new neighbourhood with high-quality new homes, new public and community spaces, more commercial opportunities, and better transport links.
“We’ll always put local people first. Anything we do will be a proper partnership with residents and businesses. This will mean that any plans will be rooted in what you’ve told us you want to see.”
Cabinet is being asked to approve the Northern Gateway to progress to the next stage. This will allow detailed plans, surveys, and assessments to be carried out before proposals for the project are brought forward for consideration in Spring 2027.
At the meeting on 17 November, Cabinet will decide whether to endorse a commercial approach to the management of The Ridings Shopping Centre. This will involve protecting the centre’s income so that it is as financially sustainable as it can be.
A live stream of the meeting is available from 5.30pm. This can be watched live or later on Wakefield Council’s You Tube channel.