Plans aim to deliver new council housing in Leeds community

Leeds City Council has in recent months been fine-tuning and finalising its proposals for the 21-apartment scheme, which it is hoping to build on a vacant brownfield site at Wood Lane in Rothwell.

Now the council has submitted an application for planning permission for the two-storey development, which would complement wider work to deliver much-needed new homes in communities across the city.

The apartments – for rent by people on the council’s housing register – would have a mix of one and two bedrooms, with internal layouts that would maximise floor space while offering scope for adaptation to meet tenants’ changing requirements.

A low carbon design and construction strategy means the new homes would also benefit from high-specification insulation, double glazing and other sustainable heating and energy measures.

Beyond the apartments, the transformed site would have car parking spaces – equipped for electric vehicle charging – and dedicated bike storage facilities.

Landscaping work would include the planting of new trees and shrubs, with an attractive private amenity space being created for residents.

The site earmarked for the development was formerly occupied by the Home Lea House care home, which was demolished in 2023.

The surrounding area is residential – with good access to shops and services – and every effort has been made to ensure the scale and appearance of the new apartment building would be in keeping with neighbouring properties.

Council data shows there is currently a shortage of affordable housing in Rothwell, where one and two-bedroom homes are those in greatest demand.

Public consultation was carried out prior to the submission of the planning application, with information packs being sent to 175 local properties and two in-person engagement events being held at Haigh Road Community Centre.

If approved, the scheme would be delivered via Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP), which has already built or acquired hundreds of homes in recent years.

Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said:

“We are immensely proud of our Council Housing Growth Programme and the way it is changing lives and communities for the better.

“However, we know there is still a pressing need for more high-quality affordable homes in many areas of Leeds, including Rothwell.

“If approved, the Wood Lane scheme can help us meet that need and will also breathe new life into a piece of land that is currently standing vacant.

“My thanks go to all those involved with the project for the hard work and commitment they have shown in getting us to this point.”

News of the step forward for the Wood Lane proposals follows confirmation last week that a planning application has been submitted for another CHGP scheme, at a former flats site in the Boggart Hill area of Seacroft. The council demolished the eyesore Kingsdale Court flats after acquiring them from private ownership and is now seeking to build 79 affordable homes on the cleared site.

CHGP projects currently under construction, meanwhile, include the Middlecross development in Armley, which will provide 65 apartments for affordable rent by people aged over 55 with care and support needs.

Also in progress is a scheme at the former Hough Side High School site, near Pudsey, which will deliver 82 homes, again for affordable rent.

Recently completed CHGP developments include one at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft and another in the Ambertons area of Gipton that between them delivered 88 homes for affordable rent.

ENDS