Planning Applications continue to be plentiful as we head into the summer months. We are ever grateful for the dedication of our volunteers who keep things moving into the holiday season.
The Planning Committee kicked off June with a presentation from developers about Zurich House in Canal Wharf, proposing a new building on the site and a change of use from office to residential. The Committee were generally supportive of the scheme and found the current scale/massing felt appropriate, having ruled out a taller scheme in previous iterations. We shared some comments in the hope of influencing the final scheme and will look out for the application on the Council’s planning portal in the coming months. We hope to further flesh out our presentation schedule for future meetings.
The Planning Committee were supportive of 4 schemes this month, including:
- St John’s Centre 110-118 Albion St: the Committee particularly welcome this PBSA application’s intention to retain the original building structure and minimize the loss of embedded carbon, though we did express some concerns about the need for more PBSA in the city centre.
- Wetherby to Thorp Arch Railway Path: the Committee supported this scheme’s improvements to the Leeds cycling infrastructure including resurfacing, widening the path and redesigning access for 2.5km of a National Cycle Network route.
- West Leeds Social Club, Upper Wortley: we supported the change of use from sports club to a specialist boarding school facility, including provision of playground and landscaping.
- St Mary’s in the Wood Church, Morley: another positive change of use from church hall to provision of adult education in a way that enhances the surrounding conservation area in Morley town centre.
We decided to express our objections about 4 more schemes, such as:
- 34-36 Springwell Road, Holbeck: the Committee’s previous objections to this scheme still stand and members felt it provided a poor first impression for those arriving in Leeds by train
- Hillycroft, Gildersome: we objected to this demolition and redevelopment of residential houses and apartment blocks due to concerns about the small layout of flats, its impact on greenbelt land and possible development creep
- Farmfoods, CrossgatesF: we felt the redevelopment of this food store was void of landscaping and poor quality as a whole.
- Former Tetley Brewery Building: given the building’s historical, social and cultural significance, we were hugely disappointed to see the application’s intention to sweep away much of the interior partitions with original features and found the proposed extension to be insensitive to the existing building and setting.
We also commented on 1 scheme:
- 31 Boar Lane, LS1: we asked about the missing Griffin figure and whether the external clock is still working
Our ‘no comments’ this month related to schemes where there were no major changes suggested or largely small scale internal changes (such as 74 Kirkgate, Be at One in Millenium Square, Greggs in the Bourse and the Henry Moore Institute), or where we felt we had little influence over the result (such as the temporary pop-up on City Square, which had already been erected at the time of consideration.)
There were a few schemes that we decided to come back to for further consideration in July, following more information gathering and discussion, including proposals for a mixed development on 71-73 Mabgate and a new teaching block at Leeds City College Park Lane Campus. These schemes really capture the complexities in assessing the various merits and challenges of a scheme.
In other planning and transport-related news:
We have received renewed interest in our Planning & Transport work, welcoming three new volunteers to the Planning Committee in May/June and more expressions of interest are coming in!
- After meeting with Leeds City Council’s development team and expressing our concerns about the brick quality of a residential scheme on Kirkstall Hill last month, our volunteers have been collecting examples of best and worst practice in terms of red brick use. We hope to collate a best practice report to share with our Council friends in due course.
- Work has begun, led by Urban Wilderness, to coordinate a public exhibition informed by consultation workshops to showcase the Eastside Vision in attempt to influence the evolution of the Leeds Transformational Regeneration Partnership led by Leeds City Council
- Our Transport and Liveable Leeds group met in June to reflect on the city’s transformations in recent years, including bus services, active travel interventions, the role of e-bikes, accessibility, car traffic and pedestrian crossings amongst other issues. They hope to invite WYCA and Leeds City Council officers to the next meeting to discuss the issues raised.
- The West Yorkshire Combined Authority have announced the launch of their consultation phase 1 about Mass Rapid Transit across the region. We will attend the launch on 15th July and report back next month!
ANNA SHINDLER – PLANNING AND TRANSPORT OFFICER. LEEDS CIVIC TRUST.
