Application for 42-flat retirement home in Garforth in place of old petrol station submitted to Leeds City Council

Housebuilder McCarthy Stone has applied to Leeds City Council to redevelop a vacant site at Barrowby Lane in Garforth.

If planning permission is granted, the site would be converted into 42 one and two-bedroom apartments.

A design report said the development was designed to help people aged over 60 live independently.

It said: “This is a very specialised form of accommodation, which is currently limited within Garforth.”

The new building would house 23 one-bedroom and 19 two-bed flats. Parking spaces and communal areas for residents are included in the design.

The report said the former filling station site, at the junction with Aberford Road, had been vacant for around 20 years.

It said: “The new development will be constructed and serviced to a very high standard, and we believe will bring measurable benefits to the local community, including the improvement of the current site condition.”

McCarthy Stone said there was a growing need for elderly accommodation to free-up housing for the younger population.

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Most residents of the development would have links to the Garforth community, the report said.

It said: “Through use of this facility, much needed existing housing stock will be released into the local housing market.”

The report said the site, around 800m from Garforth town centre, was close to shops, pubs and social clubs.

It said: “There are several bus stops near the site that provide access to the town centre and Garforth railway station, with services to nearby Leeds, York and beyond.”