Council puts Leeds cemetery chapel up for auction with £175k guide price
Council bosses have said the chapel is too costly to maintain
A Leeds chapel has gone up for auction as part of a sell-off of cemetery buildings to raise cash for the council.
Harehills Cemetery Chapel is being marketed with a guide price of £175,000-plus.
The Kimberley Road building is one of four chapels declared surplus to requirements by council bosses who said they were under-used and too costly to maintain.
Chapels in Armley, Horsforth and Otley were also to be sold off, Leeds City Council said.
Horsforth’s Victorian cemetery chapel, on Calverley Lane, has already been put on the BTD Eddisons auction site with a guide price of £50,000-plus.
A listing on the same site for the Harehills building said: “Requiring renovation, the property offers potential for alternative uses or redevelopment, subject to the necessary consents.
“The property occupies an attractive and unique position within Harehills Cemetery and comprises a single-storey former chapel with considerable character.”
Planning permission would be needed to redevelop the vacant chapel. Buyers were encouraged to take advice from the local authority.
The auction listing said: “The building requires renovation but provides an interesting opportunity to create a distinctive new use or scheme.
“Harehills is situated approximately two miles north-east of Leeds city centre, with a range of local amenities nearby and good access to the wider road network.”
A council report said sales of the four chapels would be on a 250-year leasehold basis.
Auction was deemed the most likely way of securing the highest-possible price.
The report said: “It is likely that the new owners will redevelop the property, which could result in new employment and residential opportunities which are known to bring health and well-being benefits.
“A sale will generate capital receipts for the council and alleviate financial pressure due to continued maintenance and running costs.”
Bids for the Harehills chapel would be taken until October 14, BTG Eddisons said.