By John Baron
Developers are set to present early details of a proposed housing development at a former industrial site off Kirkstall Road.
Members of the south and west plans panel will discuss early proposals for a residential development on the empty former Thyssen Krupp site, on the corner of Kirkstall Road and Viaduct Road.
Councillors will be encouraged to comment on early proposals for around 509 apartments ahead of a full planning application being submitted by developers Forshaw Group.
The development would be between five and 12 storeys high across five blocks, with ground floor commercial uses as well as landscaping, green spaces and car parking.
Apartments would be between one to three bedrooms, and would be for private sale.
A planning officer’s report to be considered at next week’s pre-application hearing in Leeds Civic Hall acknowledges the high density of apartments on the site.
It says: “The proposals include tall blocks facing Kirkstall Road adjacent to the junction with Viaduct Road. Twelve storeys constitutes a significant scale away from the city centre however the site is somewhat of a transitional site and this scale is specific to the northwest corner of the site.”
The report adds: “The building types take inspiration from the sites 19th century industrial past as the ‘Perseverance ironworks’ and represents a contemporary interpretation of this industrial mill heritage.”
Councillors will be asked whether they support the proposed layout, scale, massing and architectural approach of the development, as well as comment on the housing mix and public realm.
The report concludes: “The emerging proposals offer the opportunity to develop a large, cleared brownfield site in a prominent and sustainable location which has been vacant for approaching a decade.
“The scheme is considered to establish a series of interesting buildings and spaces with the potential to have a considerable impact on the character and quality of Kirkstall Road and routes across the area.”
The site was close to the city centre, schools and transport links, said the report.
It said: “The proposed development of 509 units is unlikely to exceed the capacity of local infrastructure or services.”
A report and presentation will be given to councillors at the panel meeting at Leeds Civic Hall next Thursday, 10 July, at 1pm in Leeds Civic Hall. The agenda and documents can be found here. The meeting will be streamed live on YouTube.
The Thyssen Krupp factory closed following the Boxing Day 2015 floods, which saw the River Aire burst its banks along the Kirkstall valley. The future of the site has been the subject of a number of different planning applications since 2018. Follow WLD’s coverage here.
The report adds that nearby Burley Bridge Mills is subject to a pending application for an eight-storey apartment block, and the conversion of first and second floors of an existing building with two storey extension above to create 68 apartments.
That will be a total of over 2100 flats so far that strip of land alongside the River Aire!!!WOW!!!
Where’s all the infrastructure for amenities, docs , dentists and schooling plus traffic in that area is already at breaking point!!!!
Another well thought out area for development, not!!!
Assumption is that tennants won’t have cars. Don’t really know what LCC can do other than ask for certain requirements. My overall sadness is the loss of all the jobs all the way down the riverside in last 20 years. Woodheads, Yorkshire chemicals x 2, Bus depot, Doncasters Monk bridge,, Tetley’s etc etc. Where will people work?