Leeds is going to be one of the only cities in the UK to showcase a brand new car from Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds.
As one of the UK's electric friendliest cities, according to Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds, Leeds is the perfect place to showcase a new high-performance electric vehicle.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N is not only the topgear.com Car of the Year, but also the first all-electric N Model and has been dubbed as the car that's 'setting new benchmarks for high performance electric vehicles'.
For those that want to check out the brand-new motor in the flesh, Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds, on Gelderd Road (just outside Leeds City Centre in Holbeck), will be hosting an exciting sneak peek preview event this Sunday 10 March 2024, from 11am.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. / Images: Supplied
You'll get the opportunity to speak with dedicated Hyundai specialists who will be on hand to talk guests through the car – a vehicle that's 'created for and by people who truly love cars', featuring a sleek and sporty design and newly designed N steering wheel and N Bucket Seats.
Sounds pretty impressive right?
So, whether you've been on the hunt for a new electric car for a while or want to spend Mother's Day looking for a vehicle that's the perfect family ride, Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds has something at the special preview event for everyone.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. / Images: Supplied
Not only can you view the car, but there’s plenty to keep you entertained, including a race simulator from Hyundai UK. And for the lucky person that takes the car around the simulator race track the fastest, there's going to be the chance to win a Red Letter Days or Virgin Experience voucher worth £150.
Of course inspecting cars is hungry work, but fear not as local burger van The Otley Burger Company will be there to rustle up its locally renowned smash burgers.
Images: The Otley Burger Company via Instagram
This event is a great opportunity to find out more about the new Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, and to speak to the team about flexible finance on all vehicles, its broad selection of used vehicles, or securing a new electric vehicle.
Paul Augey, Head of Business at Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds, said: “We are thrilled that Hyundai has chosen to launch the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N with Evans Halshaw, right here in Leeds giving our customers the chance to see the car up close first hand.
"Leeds is one of the most electric friendly cities in the UK so it's the perfect place to showcase this wonderful car.”
To find Evans Halshaw Hyundai Leeds, head down Geldard Road, and you'll find the venue situated next to Kwik fit. The walk is around 30 minutes from Leeds Train Station, or you can hop on the 229 bus.
An independent matcha stand in Leeds has launched a petition to save the business, after council concerns could result in its closure.
This front garden matcha spot is none other than Sips Matcha, and it's safe to say its become a firm favourite in Leeds, with more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.
Many of us have made the trip to the vibrant green, family-run matcha shed at its Little Woodhouse residential location, and tasting some of Leeds' best matcha while nattering away to Matt and Julia, but this could soon change.
The self-proclaimed 'tiniest matcha stand in Leeds' only just celebrated its one year anniversary, but now faces closure in the coming weeks after a retroactive planning application was rejected.
According to Sips Matcha, Leeds City Council has given them 28 days' notice to stop trading and remove the shed.
In this published document via Leeds City Council website, multiple reasons are listed for the decision to refuse planning permission for the bright-green matcha shed.
This electronic letter signed by Martin Elliot, Chief Planning Officer, lists spoiling the property's character, increased footfall, and a failure to comply with numerous development and design policies.
The full statement reads: "The Local Planning Authority considers that the design, scale and position of the wooden shed fails to respect the previously un spoilt character of the host property, resulting in an unacceptable impact on visual amenity and the wider street scene.
"The Local Planning Authority considers that the use of the shed for retail sales in this quiet residential location would result in an unacceptable impact on the amenity of local residents due to increased levels of comings-and-goings, demand for parking and antisocial behaviour including increased noise and litter, to the significant detriment of neighbouring amenity."
The matcha maestros have now launched a petition urging people to save Sips Matcha, labelling the painted wooden shed-turned-coffee shop as a 'Community Stand'.
Co-owner Julia has published a statement via the petition link where she details: "After being made redundant and at a crossroads in life Matt threw himself into making Sips something special - and it has become exactly that...
"Their concerns are that the shed is in a front garden, and that the business could cause nuisance - litter, traffic and parking issues. In over a year of trading, none of these have been a problem. Leeds City Council asked neighbours on the street for their opinion. Not one negative response.
"We are a registered food business with Leeds City Council, insured and hold our food and hygiene certificates. They have now asked us to stop trading and remove the shed within 28 days."
Leeds has been crowned the UK’s top construction hotspot
Clementine Hall
Leeds has been ranked the number one city in the UK for construction growth.
Well well well, it seems we've got another accolade under our belt.
A new survey has revealed that Leeds leads the way in national construction growth, outdoing London and other major cities. How cool is that?
It's all down to a number of factors, including high housing completions, strong planning activity, and thriving construction businesses.
The findings are all down to Astrak’s new Construction Hotspot Index, which analysed job availability, planning activity, housing completions and construction businesses across 12 major UK cities.
Leeds performed strongly across all key indicators used in the index, beating the likes of Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham in the national rankings.
Key findings for Leeds included:
1,343 live construction job adverts – one of the highest in the UK
1,017 planning application decisions in Q2 2025 – a strong indicator of future developments
4,327 housing completions – the latest government annual data shows the highest rate per capita
3,760 construction businesses – per capita, second only to London
James Coughlan, CMO at Astrak, commented: “Leeds is clearly a city building for the future. With strong demand for skilled workers, a thriving business base and thousands of new homes completed, it’s a great time to be in construction here.
“The city offers a wide range of opportunities – from on-site trades to technical and office-based roles, and with even more growth forecast, we expect demand for talent to keep rising well into 2026 and beyond.”
We can't say we're surprised, and although it may be frustrating for construction to be popping up here there and everywhere the city is benefitting from recent developments such as Aire Park and the South Village.
The Hoot -
7th March 2024 
