Deal for 30-storey Leeds tower block falls through after developer fails to meet affordable housing terms

Property firm CityLife was given the go-ahead in October 2023 to build 345 flats at Cartwright House in Holbeck.

Final approval was subject to 24 affordable homes being provided at the site on Springwell Road, along with £680,000 in financial contributions.

Leeds City Council said planning permission was now refused after the developer failed to finalise the deal.

A council spokesperson said: “This would have delivered the required level of affordable housing, contributions towards green space, highways improvements and measures towards travel planning.

“However, as the applicant didn’t complete this legal agreement, even after several time extensions, the application didn’t comply with the planning policy and has therefore been refused.”

The project was the second phase of CityLife’s Springwell Gardens scheme, which includes 223 flats on a neighbouring site.

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Phase two would have towered over the 16-storey phase one development, providing mainly one and two-bedroom apartments.

A council planning report said: “The proposed development also incorporates a communal garden terrace at roof level, providing panoramic views of the city centre and beyond.”

Seven per cent of the new homes in the tower block were required to be classed as affordable under council planning policy.

Financial contributions included £424,000 towards green space improvements as part of the deal, known as a section 106 agreement.

Some £23,000 would have been spent on a new bus shelter nearby.

A plans panel delegated approval of the scheme to the council’s chief planning officer, who then had the authority to refuse it if the agreement was not signed.

The council said a section 106 agreement could still be provided if the developer appealed against refusal.

“But at present the council reserves the right to contest these matters should the agreement not be completed or cover all the requirements satisfactorily,” the spokesperson said.