SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Work has recently started on erecting wind baffles on Water Lane by Bridgewater Place, Leeds. If the baffles do what they are built to do then the serious problems caused when there are strong winds at the Bridgewater Place area should be greatly reduced.

These are 3 of the photos I took of the work going on just before to just after noon on a very wet grey October 19 2017. The first is a view looking across the River Aire from near Victoria Road/Neville Street. The other two are views of the work taken from Water Lane.

Not before time either. It's five or six years since that poor bloke got killed around there.

By coincidence I walked by there yesterday morning, in calm weather conditions, fortunately. I noticed that Leeds City Council's big yellow project sign said "Wind amelioration scheme." It should say something like "Utter incompetence rectification scheme" with large portraits of every dolt who was involved with this fiasco at different stages.

There should also be a prominent and permanent memorial to Dr Edward Slaney who was killed here when he was crushed under the tipper lorry.

I agree with every thing you say jma im no intellectual but i would have thought that over a period of time wind strength measurements would have been taken before any building work took place.Or is it that a number of circumstances came together that could not have been foreseen.

jma wrote:By coincidence I walked by there yesterday morning, in calm weather conditions, fortunately. I noticed that Leeds City Council's big yellow project sign said "Wind amelioration scheme." It should say something like "Utter incompetence rectification scheme" with large portraits of every dolt who was involved with this fiasco at different stages.

There should also be a prominent and permanent memorial to Dr Edward Slaney who was killed here when he was crushed under the tipper lorry.

Hi jma .

The first photo in this post is one that I took of the wind amelioration scheme sign on Water Lane on March 2 2017. The second shows that work had started by at least then on Water Lane so seven months back, but I assume major engineering work does take a long time. PS. You caught the right time to be there as I got very wet in the then unpleasant weather conditions .

I think the scheme has had 3 phases. The first and second ran concurrently. Firstly amenities (gas, electric, communications) had to be re-routed so that strong foundations could be put in by what I think is a pile-driver in Leodian's last photo. For some reason (maybe the baffles were behind schedule in manufacture) Water Lane was reopened over the summer. The final phase is the putting in place and securing of what look like aeroplane wings minus their skin.

Apologies for any inconvenience

Humbug

Ba Humbug.

These are 3 photos that I took on October 24 2017 of the baffles installation work going on at Bridgewater Place (just like on October 19 it was raining when I took them!). The first is a zoomed-in view of one of the almost sci-fi looking baffles. The second and third show the baffles that have been erected.

Is this the answer ?
Personally I have little faith in the project,hopefully as a layman I might
be proved wrong but only time will tell.
Thee baffles are almost as ugly as the building itself but if they prevent accidents then God Speed.