6,000 new homes for Leeds city centre?

As previously reported in the YEP, Leeds City Council has set itself a target to approve the building of 70,000 new homes by 2028.

A large chunk of those homes were earmarked for Temple Works in Holbeck and a 600-acre plot at Headley Hall. However both have now been struck from the list after the former - originally earmarked to hold 1,800 new homes - was snapped up by Burberry for a manufacturing plant, and after landowner the University of Leeds pulled out of any potential deal to market the latter for homes.

A report being debated by the council’s Development Plans Panel today says of Temple Works: “It will be necessary to consider alternative options for delivering the housing targets within this part of the district.”

Referring to the Burberry plans, it adds: “This level of investment...is clearly very positive news for Leeds. A knock on effect, however, is that...the housing growth will need to be accommodated in sites elsewhere, ideally within the city centre.”

The council’s draft Site Allocations Plan has already recommended splitting the city into 11 geographical areas and developing the 70,000 new homes in three phases.

Of the 11 geographical areas, the city centre and inner city communities including Armley, Harehills and Beeston Hill will receive the highest number of new homes.

Almost 10,000 people took part in a recent citywide consultation on a draft version of the council’s Core Strategy and Site Allocations plan, two major documents which will set out the overall scale and distribution of new housing and the city’s economic growth vision.