Leeds wedding venue: First look at plans for waterfront venue, holiday lodges and cafe in Oulton

Developers want to build a 120 capacity venue, alongside 40 holiday lodges and a cafe, on the site of an old storage depot on Fleet Lane, in Oulton.

But a number of hurdles must be overcome before the idea even gets close to planning permission, including the risk of flooding off-site and the fact that a proposed car park would have to be built on greenbelt land.

That’s despite a number of councillors having given the scheme a reasonably warm reception at a plans panel meeting on Thursday. Liberal Democrat Stewart Golton, who represents the area, said a report prepared by council officers on the plans had been “unfairly weighted” towards the drawbacks.

Although the venture would create up to 55 jobs, the report said that it did not meet the terms of ’employment use’ that the land is earmarked for.

Councillor Golton said: “This has the wholehearted endorsement of the local councillors and the local community. For the policy to class hospitality employment as not real jobs is appallingly contradictory and outdated.”

Conservative councillor Trish Smith said she had concerns about access to the site, which is remote and surrounded by the River Aire, as well as the Aire and Calder Navigation.

But she added: “Ordinarily I’d protect the greenbelt with my life. I don’t consider this site to be greenbelt. I consider it to be an industrial site and I consider this would be a reasonable use, if it could be made to work in a sustainable manner.”

Planning officers say the development would result in the loss of a protected wharf site. And although the buildings themselves would be raised above the ground to reduce the risk of flooding on the site, officers say the development itself “will likely increase the risk of off-site flooding, and is not sustainable or accessible”.

Councillors were told the applicants would take feedback on board and decide whether or not to pursue the plans any further.