'Unsafe' Leeds care home set for demolition as plans for 37 flats recommended for approval
The building has RAAC in the roof
A Catholic care home building in Leeds could be demolished to make way for flats if proposals for the site are approved by councillors.
Plans to create 37 apartments at the Mount St Joseph’s site on Shire Oak Road in Headingley will go before a Leeds City Council plans panel.
Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns, said the building was found to be unsafe due to autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the roof.
The organisation, which has helped elderly people in Leeds for 160 years, applied for planning permission for demolition of existing buildings.
The council received 57 letters of support for the planning application and some 19 objections.
A supporter said: “The development will create essential housing and care for older people in need.”
Objectors included Leeds Civic Trust, which raised concerns over a lack of family housing provided as part of the scheme.
The project is recommended for approval when the council’s West Plans Panel meets at Leeds Civic Hall on Thursday (October 29).
A report to the meeting said: “The existing building is to be demolished due to the recent discovery of RAAC within the roof.
“Structural surveys have indicated signs of significant defects and potential structural instability within the building.”
Permission for building work would be delegated to the city’s chief planning officer, subject to legal agreements, the report said.
It said: “The development gives rises to no significant concerns in relation to its impact on design and character, impact on heritage assets, residential amenity for both existing and future residents, accessibility, highways safety, ecology or existing protected trees.”
Demolition of the existing building would make way for an L-shaped development of up to four storeys in height.
The council report said: “The application relates to a full planning application for the demolition of existing buildings and construction of new building containing 37 apartments, with associated parking and landscaping.”