Plans to transform a former industrial laundry in Armley into 46 flats have been refused by Leeds City Council following local opposition.
Developers Armley Ltd wanted to demolish the largely disused Cottage Laundry buildings off Edinburgh Grove and build self-contained studio, one and two bedroom flats aimed at the private rental market.
The proposals – scaled back from original plans for 54 flats – come after the developers withdrew controversial ‘co-housing’ plans for the site in February, which included 146 studio rooms, a shared workspace and a cafe bar and restaurant.
The buildings are now largely disused and in poor repair and the proposal was to
replace the existing buildings with a new building to provide purpose-built living accommodation.
A council planning officer’s report refusing the application says:
“The Local Planning Authority considers that the development, by reason of its scale and layout, would create an incongruous and visually dominant addition which will result in the site appearing overdeveloped, [and] which fails to respect the overall character and appearance of the surrounding environment.”
Other reasons for refusal includes the lack of off-street parking and concerns over living conditions.
All three Armley ward councillors, three local residents and civic watchdog Leeds Civic Trust objected to the proposals.
A design statement supporting the application from ROH architects said the site was in a sustainable location and added:
“Due to the anticipated demographic of the residents, it is unlikely that there will be a substantial use of motor vehicles, but there will be an anticipated increase in bicycle and pedestrian traffic.”
The plans can be viewed in full here.