No decision on plans for Leeds homes and GP surgery

Leeds City Council’s South and West Plans Panel was unable to reach a decision on the proposal for East Ardsley at a meeting yesterday. (April 12)

The proposal would see 15 houses and six flats, along with a GP surgery, pharmacy and retail space, built on land off Fall Lane and Meadow Side Road.

It was considered by councillors after previous plans for the village, which has no GP surgery, did not proceed after a developer pulled out.

Yesterday’s planning meeting was told that GPs serving the village were oversubscribed with patients.

But the planning application had been recommended for refusal after objections over the layout and type of homes being proposed at the site.

Amendments to the site plan had been made, but a report to the meeting said: “Officers and members have significant concerns over the design and layout of the development and the amenity of the occupants of the proposed flats.

“Furthermore it is considered the proposed development provides too many four-bed dwellings.

Speaking at the meeting at Leeds Civic Hall, the landowner, Sean Cunningham, said building work was ready to proceed if permission was granted.

He said: “We have a builder ready to go and a chemist ready to occupy.”

Mr Cunningham said he had previously been told the council would support the planning application.

He said: “We just cannot understand, really, why senior officers have jumped in and overridden it. We are just at a loss.”

Mr Cunningham told councillors that the planned surgery and chemist could now be taken out of the planning application.

But he added: “That is what I do not want to do.”

Councillors voted to defer a decision over the planning application as further discussions are held with the developer. The application will be re-advertised to nearby householders.