First look at new housing development planned for former Leeds care home site
The development would include 21 flats
Pictures of a new council housing development planned on the site of a Leeds care home have been released.
Leeds City Council has submitted a proposal for the 21-apartment scheme, which it hopes to build on a vacant brownfield site at Wood Lane in Rothwell.
The site was formerly the Home Lea House care home site, which was demolished in May 2023.
The council has submitted an application for planning permission for the two-storey development, which it says would complement wider work to deliver new affordable housing in communities across the city.
And it has now released CGI images showing what the development could look like if the plans are approved.
The apartments – which would be for rent by people on the council’s housing register – would have a mix of one and two bedrooms, with “high-specification” insulation, double glazing and sustainable heating.
The site would have car parking spaces – equipped for electric vehicle charging – and bike storage facilities.
Landscaping work would include the planting of new trees and shrubs, with a shared private amenity space for residents.
Council data shows there is currently a shortage of affordable housing in Rothwell, where one and two-bedroom homes are those in greatest demand, the council said.
Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said: “We are immensely proud of our Council Housing Growth Programme and the way it is changing lives and communities for the better.
“However, we know there is still a pressing need for more high-quality affordable homes in many areas of Leeds, including Rothwell.
“If approved, the Wood Lane scheme can help us meet that need and will also breathe new life into a piece of land that is currently standing vacant.
“My thanks go to all those involved with the project for the hard work and commitment they have shown in getting us to this point.”
If approved, the scheme would be delivered via Leeds’ Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP).
Last week, the council unveiled plans for new council housing in the recently demolished Kingsdale Court flats in Seacroft.
News of the step forward for the Wood Lane proposals follows confirmation last week that a planning application has been submitted for another CHGP scheme, at a former flats site in the Boggart Hill area of Seacroft. The council demolished the eyesore Kingsdale Court flats after acquiring them from private ownership and is now seeking to build 79 affordable homes on the cleared site.
CHGP projects currently under construction, meanwhile, include the Middlecross development in Armley, which will provide 65 apartments for affordable rent by people aged over 55 with care and support needs.
Also in progress is a scheme at the former Hough Side High School site, near Pudsey, which will deliver 82 homes, again for affordable rent.
Recently completed CHGP developments include one at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft and another in the Ambertons area of Gipton that between them delivered 88 homes for affordable rent.