Plans to build 50 new homes and four apartments on a greenfield site in Pudsey are set to be debated by city councillors next week.
The proposal, put forward by Leeds Federated Housing Association, already received in-principle planning consent in 2020 from Leeds City Council for at least 65 new homes off Owlcotes Road.
Councillors on the south and west plans panel will next Thursday decide whether the approve the detailed design of the scheme, which will consist of entirely ‘affordable homes’ ranging from one-bed apartments to four-bed family homes.
The scheme has met with 17 objections from local residents, with concerns over the quality of the development, lack of local infrastructure to support the people living there, concerns over access safety and the loss of wildlife on the site near Owlcotes Reservoir.
Proposals are being brought to panel at the request of Councillors Amanda and Andrew Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley), who consider the application needs to be considered by members due to design and amenity concerns.
A planning officer’s report is recommending councillors approve the plans in principle and defer the final decision to the council’s chief planning officer subject to a raft of planning conditions being met, including the laying out of all parking spaces on the site.
The report said the principle of the development for housing on the 5.5-acre site has already been established by local planning policies and the site also has outline approval for housing. It says councillors should only consider the detailed appearance, landscaping, layout, and scale of the plans, rather than the principle of the development.
“The development will provide much needed affordable housing, within a quality designed and spaced development which includes on-site open green space,” the report concluded. “The benefits of this are considered to outweigh any harm caused by a net loss of biodiversity.”
Leeds Federated is a housing association managing around 4,600 properties in Leeds, North Yorkshire and Wakefield areas. It rents affordable homes and sells homes through shared ownership schemes. It bought the site from Keyland Developments – the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water – earlier this year.
The south and west plans panel meets next Thursday (28 September 2023) at Leeds Civic Hall from 1.30pm. The full agenda, papers and reports can be read in full here.
Sponsored content
