Over one thousand new homes on vacant land in Leeds

CGI of proposed housing on Kirkstall Road site in Leeds (Latimer / Clarion Housing Group)

In our levelling up forum in Leeds next month, we will be discussing the future for infrastructure and joined up transport for housing.

Leader of Leeds City Council, Cllr James Lewis will be speaking on our opening panel about the levelling up of this important city and region, and he will be joined at the forum by the British Library, Bruntwood, Aviva Investors, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds University among others, in an event hosted by global law firm, DLA Piper.

A major new residential development with more than 500 affordable homes will be built on brownfield land west of Leeds city centre, after plans were approved by the council last week.

Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group has been given the green light to transform the vacant 13-acre riverside plot on Kirkstall Road and deliver a landmark 1,437-home scheme offering a range of housing options to local people.

The not-for-profit developer acquired the site in 2020 and will provide a total of 503 affordable homes, representing over a third of all the new homes built and far exceeding the minimum requirements set in the city.

As few as 100 homes at the site needed to be affordable under local policy rules but Latimer has increased its provision to deliver over 500. These homes will be a mix of social rent and shared ownership for local people, with the others being sold privately.

The wider Kirkstall Road scheme will provide one, two and three-bedroom apartments set across 11 blocks ranging from 8 to 17 storeys in height.. There will also be 13 three-bedroom townhouses with private gardens and a dedicated new student accommodation block - featuring 355 rooms for those studying at one of the city's four universities.

As well as providing a variety of housing options, including vital affordable homes, the finished development will transform the River Aire's frontage and breathe new life into the 'green corridor' along Kirkstall Road.

Latimer's masterplan - designed by architects Broadway Malyan - will deliver a brand-new riverside park, a river crossing and a range of creative and commercial areas to host art, cafes, a food hall, independent shops and public workspaces.

The proposals approved by Leeds City Council's planning committee, also include a supplementary social project to tackle local homelessness in and around the city. In partnership with charity St George's Crypt and the council, Latimer will provide nine secure temporary accommodation units on the site for rough sleepers for around three years while the development is built.

Nearly half of the 13-acre site's footprint will be green space while landscaped areas, including 250 new trees will be designed to encourage social interaction and communal 'grow your own' planting zones.

The homes themselves will feature photovoltaic solar panels and will not use fossil fuels. There will be over 1,100 secure cycle parking spaces as well as electric car charging points for residents. New pedestrian walkways, a bridge and cycle paths will improve local connections - reducing the site's carbon footprint and helping to keep cars off the nearby streets.