British Library outpost plan could lose £10m grant

The former Temple Works mill in Leeds is part of a major regeneration project for the city

A £10m grant to help transform a former West Yorkshire mill into a British Library outpost could be withdrawn, the government has confirmed.

It had been proposed that the former Temple Works site in Leeds would become a new public space for the library, but after the Budget on Wednesday, the Treasury said it was "minded to withdraw funding" in a bid to make savings.

The Grade I-listed Egyptian-style former flax-spinning mill needs extensive structural work and is part of a major regeneration project on the edge of the city centre.

A British Library spokesperson said: "We are exploring a range of options to advance the British Library North project."

The £10m grant for the Temple Works project had been earmarked from the Department of Levelling Up's £100m culture regeneration budget, with British Library North one of 16 selected projects.

The government said it would consult over each site before making a final decision over future funding.

The government said the possible funding withdrawal was down to the "need to make savings"

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin told the BBC that doubt over the future of the £10m grant was disappointing, but she did not think the project was "dead in the water".

Ms Brabin said she would do "everything in my power" to deliver it.

She added that other funding options could emerge from partnerships, Leeds City Council and her office, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).

"We still have devolved funding committed to British Library North and I will continue to update as we find alternative solutions to bringing the project forward," she said.

The conversion of Temple Works has been estimated to cost £70m in total, with WYCA giving it a £5m boost in 2021.

'Exploring options'

The British Library said it remained as "committed as ever" to working closely with communities in Leeds and West Yorkshire from its existing base in Boston Spa.

A spokesperson said: "Following yesterday’s Budget announcement, we are consulting with DCMS, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and regional partners to navigate the next steps.

"We are exploring a range of options to advance the British Library North project."

Leeds City Council said it also remained committed to "unlocking the huge potential" of Temple Works and the plans for a new British Library North.

Council leader James Lewis said: "We are currently working through the fine detail of yesterday’s Budget announcement and assessing how it might affect the make-up of the funding package for the scheme.”

The building's unusual roof was once supposedly grass-covered so its owners could graze sheep there

Temple Works is known for its Egyptian-style architecture and stories of sheep grazing on the roof when it was a mill in the 19th Century.

According to Historic England, the mill's owners were said to have hoisted the sheep onto the roof to eat grass that was grown to maintain humidity in the building to stop the flax from breaking.

The site has been empty for about 20 years and was a mail order warehouse before plans for luxury fashion brand Burberry to use it were abandoned in 2017.

Temple Works also received a £1m boost for repairs in 2022 from Historic England.

Leeds Civic Trust said it was concerned at the news the £10m grant could be withdrawn, as the building was "vulnerable" and could only survive with government subsidy.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said £3bn had been committed to local growth in the Budget, but added that having "inherited £22bn of unfunded spending commitments" it had had to make the "difficult decision" to review some previously announced projects.

The BBC has approached the building's owners, CEG, for further comment.

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