Councillors will get their first chance to debate the redevelopment of the former Kirkstall District Centre site next week.
Initial proposals for 302 properties on the mostly derelict site will be discussed by members of the council’s City Plans Panel next Thursday.
Artisan Real Estate Investors has bought the land from Leeds City Council and Tesco for an undisclosed sum and wants to transform the area into 266 apartments and 36 town houses.
The developer will present the details of the emerging scheme for members to consider and comment on ahead of a full planning application being submitted in March 2019. No decision on the proposals will be made on Thursday.
Artisan proposes a series of three and four-storey residential apartment blocks, with parking provided below ground level.
A proposed commercial unit could be housed at the corner of Kirkstall Hill/Kirkstall Lane and could be retail, a café/restaurant, a bar or potentially a co-working space.
A council planning officer’s report notes the proposals do not currently provide sufficient town centre uses, such as offices and retail, which are required by the council’s planning guidelines. It adds:
“Justification would need to be provided by the applicants in order to demonstrate the scheme is appropriate with the residential uses assessed against our Core Strategy requirements.”
It also recommends works to improve access will be required on the already congested A65 Commercial Road at Beecroft Street, Savins Mill Way and Kirkstall Lane. It adds:
“As part of a full application a series of offsite works are expected, including improvements to the Kirkstall Lane/Kirkstall Hill/Morris Lane junction, interventions at both ends of Beecroft Street and footway improvements on Kirkstall Hill and Beecroft Street.”
The report can be read in full here.
Members will be asked to debate the use of the site as mainly residential, the housing mix of 266 apartments and 36 town houses and any other issues at their meeting
Artisan, based in the Isle of Man, held a public meeting in Kirkstall in November about the potential they see in the site, their possible solutions for transport links and engineering and about their other developments. The council report says feedback from the meeting was positive.
Read more on the centre’s proposed redevelopment here.
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Its sounds like it’s all cut & dried, it’s going to create havoc in the area as regards traffic , You say it’s being accepted by the local people ,That is not true.I have spoken with lots of local residents ,& get the opposite answers, & also I have spoken with the people who run the Harvard Mills Store, & they have never been approached or consulted on this, They are 100% against it ,Notification to the people of Kirkstall & Burley & surrounding areas regarding this was very sparse, & It is too big a project to be carried out in this area,
Thanks for your comment, Mr Stevens. I guess people will also have the chance to comment when a formal planning application is submitted (we’re only at pre-application stage at present). We’ll keep an eye on any local objections to the scheme and will ensure they get aired on these pages.
No more students . They will say not for students but watch this space and traffic will be horrendous .but what the hell councillors won’t have to live there.