Meanwood resi tipped to advance
Plans for 370 homes across five blocks at the Hilltop Works site off Buslingthorpe Lane look set for sign-off from Leeds councillors.
The applicants for the project, within the Chapel Allerton ward, are Option Two Development and Domus UK.
Hester Architects and WYG, which has since taken on its parent Tetra Tech’s brand, have advised the applicant.
The proposal goes before Leeds City Council’s North & East plans panel next week, having gone to the panel in 2022 to establish a position statement.
Officers recommend delegation to the head of planning for approval, with a long list of conditions, including provision of on-site affordable housing, more than £400,000 in lieu of on-site open space provision and close to £900,000 for highway improvements to help mitigate increased traffic on the A61 corridor.
The site is located within a conservation area and contains a number of heritage assets including old mill buildings, the remains of a once prominent free-standing chimney and an imposing wall that fronts Buslingthorpe Lane.
What is proposed is the demolition of existing industrial buildings, repair and retention of existing boundary wall, and redevelopment of site with five multi-storey apartment blocks providing 371 dwellings: 132 one-bedroom, 198 two-bedroom and 41 three-bedroom.
Associated community facilities will include a children’s play area, public and private open spaces; basement undercroft and surface level car parking: landscaping; upgrading of vehicular and pedestrian accesses off Buslingthorpe Lane; internal roads and footpaths; wind mitigation measures and other infrastructure.
The buildings:
- Block A: 10 storeys, with undercroft parking and PV panels on the roof.
- Block B: An L-shaped building, 10 storeys close to Block A, dropping through different levels of nine and seven floors before reaching six levels. Would also feature undercroft parking.
- Block C: the smallest building, south of Block A. Proposed at eight storeys.
- Block D: at the base of the site’s slope, this building will be split between eight and seven storeys.
- Block E: Six storeys above ground level.
A 228-apartment scheme was refused at the site in 2017, and negotiations have been ongoing for some time to bring forward an acceptable scheme.
What is now presented features three buildings that are red-brick and mill-like to reflect the site’s context , and two more modern to offset the “visual heaviness” of the plans. Twenty seven objections have been lodged.
The plans can be viewed on LCC’s planning portal with the reference 19/07024/FU.
