Green light for 200 Leeds student beds

Brigade Central, a partnership fronted by Birmingham Properties Group, will deliver a building reaching 10 storeys off Kirkstall Road on the western fringe of the city centre.

The application was submitted to Leeds City Council in October 2023 and will see the development of a part-eight, part-10 storey PBSA building containing 198 studio flats and communal space including a roof terrace.

The site currently houses a low-rise office building occupied by W Denis Insurance.

Development vehicle Brigade Central LLP was advised by Nexus Planning, Cunniff Design, TPM Landscape, Roscoe, Fore Consulting, Futureserv and OFR.

The scheme will tie in to the recent council-led improvements to Abbey Street, with the development providing accessible laybys for short-term drop offs and a turning head for servicing access, whilst wider footway surfacing is to be secured as part of a future Section 278 Agreement.

John Tebbutt of Birmingham Properties Group said: “We are delighted to achieve planning permission on this under-utilised site in a prime location, to deliver high-quality purpose built student accommodation.

“Once complete, the scheme will help to provide students a safe and comfortable environment with modern facilities close to the city’s various education institutions. We’d like to thank the City Council for working with us proactively on the application.”

Kirkstall Road is a hotspot for student development. Credit: via Nexcus

Designed by Leeds-based Cunniff Design, the building takes design cues from its surroundings, integrating with existing PBSA schemes in a rapidly-changing part of the city – Leeds-based Torsion, backed by Zenzic, is one operator currently working on student living in the area.

Planning consultant Jack Dickinson of Nexus Planning said that the Brigade application’s success is owed in part to collaborative pre-application discussions: “The project team engaged early with the City Council’s planning, design, highways and landscaping officers in order to bring together a proposal that was generally acceptable to all parties.

“Alongside holding positive discussions with local residents through the Little Woodhouse Community Association, the application was submitted in a supportive context. We are really pleased to see the scheme approved.”