Hepton Court, York Road: Council refuses proposal to transform two office buildings in Leeds into new flats

The prior approval application would have seen Hepton Court, comprising two buildings arranged around a central courtyard, converted into 32 new residential units.

The 1990s building currently serves as office buildings arranged over two storeys and is flanked by retail units in what is a predominantly residential area on the Harehills side of York Road.

In a report, applicant A Halpern stated that the area is "well served" by shops and supermarkets, several schools, a medical centre and places of worship. It added that the site is “well connected to the existing transport system”.

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If approved, the property would host 16 ground-floor and 16 first-floor dwellings comprising 21 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom flats. The flats would have been spread across the two office buildings referred to as Block A and Block B.

A planning officer recommended Leeds City Council refused the plans, specifying that a number of the proposed ground floor flats in Block A fail to provide adequate levels of natural light into the main rooms.

Notwithstanding this, the officer said that the local planning authority would welcome the submission of a full planning application for the creation of a single residential unit.

The proposal was refused by the planning committee on November 4, 2024.