‘Balls deep’: Investors poured millions into Leeds’ most luxurious tower. It might never be finished

It was a trusted friend who first told Trevor* about the massive new opportunity about to be erected on the South Bank.

It was December 2021 and Trevor was catching up with his friend. The man was speculatively investing in a soon-to-be-built new luxury residence in Holbeck. The project was called Sky Gardens and it was going to be slap bang in the middle of an area undergoing a big regeneration push. Did Trevor want to take a look? 

Trevor did. “Yeah, sounds interesting,” he told his friend. 

Originally from Bradford, Trevor — not his real name — had worked in Leeds’ finance industry most of his life and made a big success of it. He also had an existing property portfolio — a few small level commercial and residential properties.

And Sky Gardens certainly looked like a moment not to be missed. It was billed as Leeds’ most luxurious development yet, 32 storeys that would tower over the city. “A new icon on the [...] skyline” proclaims marketing materials from developer CityLife. 3D renders on real estate websites envisaged the tower in all its opulent glory. Its red-brick frontage and transparent exterior lift shone in (imagined) sunlight, and was topped with a gleaming glass cube which housed its crown jewel: the roof garden, a mini Eden Project in the clouds.

The 306 apartments inside offered a new level of living in Leeds: “a level of luxury with no equal in the city” is boasted on the SkyGardens website, with access to amenities like a concierge, lounge, workspace, gym, and car club.

The development had serious backing. CityLife had other ambitious South Bank projects in the works and were working with an award-winning architecture firm. A finish date was scheduled for June 2026.