Wetherby Racecourse Approach homes plan for 785 properties 'lacks enough affordable housing' - Leeds City Council officers

The application for 785 homes on a 39-hectare site off Racecourse Approach had previously received permission in principle from council decision-makers.

But officers say issues around the proposed mix of affordable houses means councillors have to once again be consulted on the plans.

The Swinnow Park development is expected to be built in eight phases over 13 years, with 138 houses completed by 2025 and the final tranche of houses ready by 2036.

The site will also contain 275 affordable houses, made up of 122 two-bed, 105 three-bed and 24 four-bed houses, as well as another 24 two-bed flats.

The site also includes a central community hub, with a primary school, play area and retail unit. The primary school and retail unit will be brought forward in later planning applications.

The outline application had previously been for 800 houses and the change in layout requires councillors to discuss it again before making a final decision. This is known as a position statement.

Council officers were generally supportive of the scheme, stating in a report: “As noted above, the proposal represents a significant residential development in Wetherby, is of significant interest within the local community and is one of the larger housing allocations in the Site Allocations Plan.

“The success of the development will rely heavily on achieving an appropriate scale, appearance, layout, and landscaping scheme on site.

“It is recognised that the developer has continued to engage with both the council and local community following the granting of the outline consent. The approach of the developer to date in respect of public/community engagement has been comprehensive and has allowed for detailed discussion and engagement with local community representatives.

“The general layout put forward and approach to develop distinct character areas is considered to be a positive approach and has responded to issues and concerns raised by the Council and local community representatives to date.”

It added, however, that there were still “clearly issues to be resolved” in regarding the housing mix, adding that there was an over-provision of two-bed affordable units and a “significant under-provision” of affordable four-bed houses, with six per cent of all four-beds to be classed as affordable.

According to the council’s own planning rules, new developments in this part of Leeds should contain at least 35 per cent affordable homes.

The report states: “It is likely that to resolve these matters, alongside issues such as car parking domination in some parts of the site and the lack of private amenity space for apartment blocks, that meaningful changes will be required.

“Officers also feel there is still room for improvement with regards to the proposed design of the development and whether there is a need to push boundaries further with regards to innovation.”

As this is a position statement meeting, no decision will be made and councillors will instead be invited to instruct planning officers on what to do next.

A final decision on reserved matters – the more detailed parts of the plan – is likely to be made in the coming months.

The council’s North and East Plans Panel will discuss the plans on Thursday March 10.

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