Anger and pain at UKREiiF

You may or may not have noticed, but UKREiiF – the UK Infrastructure and Investment Forum – has come to town this month (21-23 May 2024).

This is a massive annual conference for the UK property industry, taking place from 2022 at Leeds Dock.
We – the 1,000 or so residents of Leeds Dock – couldn’t help but notice. It completely took over our neighborhood and cast long shadows over us. It’s growing every year, with 13,000 people taking part this month – and it looks like they want 16,000 next time.

It is certainly a big deal for Leeds. There are figures around that it puts £10-20m into our local economy. It was certainly bustling in town during the conference. Hotels, bars and restaurants in the city center were rushed from their feet. This is great, a boost when the hospitality industry is going through such a rough patch.

The event itself generates work and jobs for hundreds of others in security, construction, logistics and other contract work. And it certainly serves as an advertisement for Leeds and Leeds Dock in particular – where there are a lot of empty office units – so perhaps it will bring new commercial tenants and income to the city and our estate. Fair enough.

In any case. At what cost to those living here at Leeds Dock? Life is hard enough already. Like everyone, our cost of living continues to rise.

Our rent and service charges have increased in recent years. The clothing scandal – the result of malpractice and system failure in the property development sector – has cast a very long shadow and a lot of stress on us all.

UKREiiF simply added another layer of pain to it. It caused a storm of anger among many residents last year. And while there was some learning and some improvement, he did it again this month.

The main walking routes through the estate were cordoned off and closed off – and the large security team was completely unpredictable in how they treated the residents. Some were polite and let us pass – others were rude or even intimidating and made us take long detours just to get to our own homes.

Parking and traffic was a nightmare. Communication with residents regarding changes and closures has been very inconsistent. Inconsiderate contractors made a lot of noise late at night and early several mornings during installation. Internet speeds for many of us seemed to have been slowed by the conference wifi system. A lot of garbage and waste ended up in the river and on the dock.

And, most symbolically, for many of us, all the work of testing and repairing the unresolved plywood has been put on hold. This is an ongoing battle – the same was happening during the filming of Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch.

It pushes our buttons more than anything else. And added to this was a dispute for many of us regarding the emergency meeting points – we couldn’t get to them during the event as they were fenced off. It felt very much like we were on thin ice.

In general, many of us have felt out of place in our own community—like second-class citizens, cast out in favor of an entitled industry that has done so much to ruin our lives and well-being, but sits pretty while we suffer and worry.

It felt like the city turned upside down in deference to the event – ​​another example being how the gates to the Brewery Wharf towpath were opened for the event, but are to be closed again for those of us who live here . Not a good look.

We are not against outside events and changes in general. But we want to live in a city and community that is pleasant, attractive and livable – not one that is imposed and beaten down. We want to be heard, to be recognized and to have a mutual respectful relationship with the institutions and businesses around us.

This dynamic and type of conflict is not specific to Leeds Dock – communities in conflict with institutions, big business and the demands of the wider economy and society. But we must all ask and keep asking: how much are we willing to sacrifice to fulfill them?

This post was written by the inhabitants of Leeds Dock

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