October has been a busy month for Leeds Civic Trust in the world of planning and transport, with many housing related planning applications and talk of bus franchising and ‘New Towns’ buzzing around the city.
Housing
Springvale, Chapel Allerton
The period property, Springvale, and its adjacent 0.7 acres of land is set to be demolished and replaced with retirement apartments under plans we assessed this month. The application has been submitted by Roche Retirement Living, who have numerous care homes, home care facilities and retirement blocks across Leeds & West Yorkshire. Our Planning Committee objected to this application. We felt that the original building should be retained, as it is a historical villa that is not in disrepair. There was also concern of overdevelopment of the site and lack of consideration of the surrounding listed buildings that also sit in the same Chapel Allerton conservation area.
Bramham House, Wetherby
A new application for a development involving Branham House and its adjacent land came through this month. Our Planning Committee has already assessed previous schemes for this site in 2018 and 2023. The development will create 47 residential units, including 25 apartments and 22 houses. Interestingly, there will be a mix in the external style of these units across the site. The feeling amongst the Planning Committee was neutral, so no comment was agreed.
Wayside Works, Holbeck
Another housing application we looked at was for the Wayside Works in Holbeck. This former factory site is set to be demolished under the application, and eight houses are to be built. We felt the design of the houses proposed were basic though it did offer an improvement to what is currently there. The Planning Committee also expressed concerns around overdevelopment and poor layout, as the positioning of the eight dwellings on this small bit of land looks cramped and very little pedestrian space has been considered. As such, we submitted a letter of comment highlighting these issues.
Other Interesting Applications
Nation of Shopkeepers
Our Planning Committee also looked over an application which proposes to convert empty space above the bar ‘Nation of Shopkeepers’ into a hotel. The first and second floors, that have recently been used as offices, would become 42 hotel rooms under the plans. Our committee felt this was a good use of the space with the adjoining bar and would help address the hotel shortage in the city. The application also successfully addressed access requirements. The committee submitted a letter of support with comments.
White Rose View
The only advertisement application we observed this month was for the student accommodation building White Rose View on Merrion Way. The plan proposes to remove the original signage, which states the name of the building, and replace it with a very large advertisement sign. Our Planning Committee felt the signage was garish and not in keeping with the building or its surroundings. The application also failed to explain why the original signage needs to be removed and the large advertisement be put in its place. The committee agreed to object.
Little Sisters of the Poor
The development of the Little Sisters of the Poor site on Oak Road in Headingley has been on the Planning Committee’s radar for some time; we objected to previous plans in April of this year, due to the height of one of the buildings. The application that came through this month was for the demolition of the older buildings currently stood on the site. Whilst the Committee has no issue with these buildings being knocked down, they felt that they should not be demolished without clarification about what will replace them. We submitted a letter of comment highlighting these issues.
Transport
Meeting with Councilor Peter Carlill
Our Transport & Liveable Leeds group were joined by Councilor Peter Carlill this month, who updated us on all things bus franchising. Peter explained how WYCA are in the midst of major bus franchising work and are currently developing their performance strategy. This will set out expectations around reliability across the bus network, as well as holding operators accountable for lateness and cancellations. He also noted that WYCA are aiming to assess the performance rate of bus routes & operators annually during retendering. This will hopefully push operators into providing the best service for users.
The next step for WYCA will be organizing their Ticketing & Bus Fares Strategy. As West Yorkshire is currently one of the worst counties for discretionary fares, the strategy will hopefully improve this. Peter expressed that franchising will also be an opportunity to offer integrated ticketing with the rail network and the incoming tram system. Thanks to Peter for attending – the meeting was incredibly interesting for our group, and lots was learnt.
Other Talks & Meetings
Breakfast Briefing
We held our annual breakfast briefing at Addleshaw Goddards this month and were joined by Ed Whiting (Chief Executive of Leeds City Council) and Councillor Jonathan Pryor (Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council). Speaking to the 50 corporate members who joined us, Ed and Jonathan gave us an overview of where the city is at – touching on the economy, housing, and transport. The government’s ‘New Towns’ report was mentioned, as Leeds’ South Bank has been selected as one of the top 3 options. Ed and Jonathan expressed hope that this will help create more funding opportunities as well as bring forward new housing that has been proposed in the area. They also mentioned the incoming tram system, and how a route through the South Bank could help to make this area become much more cohesive.
