Leeds' Bridgewater Place owners to foot £900,000 wind bill

A man was killed near the the 32-story building amid high winds in 2011

The owners of Yorkshire's tallest building are to pay £903,000 to cover the cost of work Leeds City Council carried out to deflect strong winds.

High winds around Bridgewater Place in Leeds were blamed for the death of Dr Edward Slaney, who was killed when a lorry blew over in March 2011.

CPPI Bridgewater Place, the building's owners, have agreed to pay to cover the public money spent, said the council.

Roads are closed to all users around the 32-storey skyscraper in high winds.

The amount to be paid includes the expense of closing road junctions on a "relatively frequent basis", said the council.

The plan involves erecting large screens and baffle boards to deflect the wind around Bridgewater Place

CPPI's contractors are start work in January on a solution to the wind tunnel effect caused by the building.

The scheme, expected to take 16 months to complete, includes erecting three sail-like structures across Water Lane as well as screens and canopies.

The large screens and baffle boards to deflect the wind - up to 50ft (17m) high and 66ft (20m) long - are to be built near the building and above the road.

Councillor Richard Lewis, of Leeds City Council, said: "This agreement means we are now able to recover the costs to council taxpayers of pursuing the solution and protecting the public while the owners got their plans in place."

The costs are payable either by September 2019 or if the owners sell the freehold to the building, said the council.