East Parade: Plans for over 100 new student flats in Leeds city centre office building gets green light

Malik Group Holdings Ltd (MGHL) submitted change of use plans for Coverdale House on East Parade in December last year.

The brick-built office building is believed to have been built in the 1980s and currently consists of vacant office space.

While not listed itself, the four-storey building sits within the Leeds City Centre Conservation Area and is located right next to the Grade II Listed East Parade Chambers.

The plans, which was granted permission for the change of use, subject to conditions, proposed the conversion of the building into over 100 new student flats.

The accommodation will include 105 studio apartments ranging between 20 and 28 square metres with en suite shower rooms, a large bed, study area and kitchenette.

It also includes the construction of a gym, communal study spaces, recreational room, laundry, private dining room and postal room as well as two communal courtyards with 30 cycle storage spaces.

A planning officer said on recommending the plans for approval: “The proposed end use is acceptable in adopted planning policy terms. The proposals will redevelop a building within a brownfield location which is highly sustainable in terms of the use proposed.

“Residential amenity impacts have either been addressed by condition, reconfiguration or can be mitigated for by the provision of more generous shared amenity spaces in the building than the emerging guidance suggests as acceptable.

“The proposals would bring a predominantly vacant building within the conservation area back into viable use and the external visual impacts are noted as being predominantly neutral where the setting of adjacent listed buildings is concerned and acceptable overall in terms of the character and appearance of the conservation area.”