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Now they're coming down!
By DAVID MARSH A PIONEERING £3m Leeds housing development from which people were evacuated after fears it could collapse in high winds is now to be torn down.
Developer LifeHomes has bought the distinctive crescent-shaped, five-storey block of pre-fabricated flats in North Street, Leeds, and intends to completely redevelop the site.
The 3m CASPAR (City Centre Apartments for Single People at Affordable Rents) scheme was built seven years ago by Japanese construction firm Kajima.
It was hailed as revolutionary, both in terms of the high-speed advanced pre-fabrication building techniques used and in providing a blueprint for encouraging middle-income singles and couples to live in city centre.
But problems emerged in 2005 when consultants advised that the flats were potentially unsafe in high winds. The residents were moved out early in 2006 and the 46 flats have stood empty ever since.
Now Leeds-based developer LifeHomes has bought the site from Kajima and has held preliminary talks with council planners over redevelopment proposals. It says it wants to come up with a design that retains many of the "style and affordability values that made the original building so distinctive."
Marc Black, LifeHomes chairman, said: "The basic concepts of CASPAR are good – providing stylish, well designed homes and good value for money for a variety of income brackets. These are values that we share.
"Our plan is to take these core values and overall design concept and make them happen on a larger scale. This is a prominent site for Leeds, and our ambition is to make the new building reflect this prominence.
"The potential of this project is huge, and we are looking forward to working with the local authority to deliver a stunning building for the centre of Leeds."
LifeHomes, working with Leeds-based architects 2B, says it plans to give the site a stronger identity and offer a wider choice of apartment sizes.
A planning application is expected to be submitted in March and, if approved, work could start before the end of the year.
david.marsh@ypn.co.uk
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Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
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Wind Speed: 8 mph
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