Leeds Kirkstall Rd Development

An application for the construction of 309 student apartments and 528 homes by Inhabit was submitted, acting on behalf of Developers Clyde to the Leeds City Council. The homes will be at Kirkstall Road, on the previous Yorkshire Chemical Works site found on the bank of River Aire.

The First Bus Depot has been vacant since 2007 and Inhabit asked for permission to build. The group was granted permission to work on the site in 2011, but due to an economic downturn, progress on the work stalled. City Reach, as it was later renamed, was lodged in 2016 and the outline for construction 800 homes was won. Inhabit, the regeneration experts submitted a detailed blueprint to the planning department of the Leeds City Council.

The blueprint is 80 pages of planning and design statements. It lays out the developer’s vision that will regenerate the vacant site to bring further investors along Kirkstall road corridor. The section covers 2.3 hectares. This proposal is part of the company’s development plans to build 1,367 homes. City Reach 1 plans were withdrawn since the company made proposals for City Reach 2 once they acquired the depot. People can have an input on the construction plans for the Kirkstall project.

Inhabit’s managing director Ana Nekhamkin said: “It’s the scale that gives us the benefits to not just create homes but to invest in the common areas, the indoor and outdoor areas.” She also said that she hopes the development will bring other people from the city’s other areas to enjoy coffee by the river. The homes will consist of five grey blocks containing student apartments. The student apartments will consist of a studio, one, two and three bedroom homes. The apartments are available to rent or purchase.

More than 1,000 sqm of commercial space, will include shops, leisure facilities, cafes, a bridge connecting Otter Island to the city, and an area for green space. All these plans want to be created by the company.

An “entrance boulevard” that is a 5.5-metre wide road with trees lining it, footpaths and parking spaces. The boulevard will be the road to access the site from Kirkstall Road. The development site is within an easy walking distance of city centre, exceedingly suitable for massive housing development, and the significant employment and leisure areas of Leeds.

The high demand for housing in Leeds will be met by the well-designed homes that will be in a vibrant and new neighbourhood. It will also make use of the vacant brownfield site. This is according to the statement found in the development. The developers don’t want it to be a one-time thing and walk away from the project once completed. No, they are invested in it for the long-term and create somewhere they would want to live. The first approach is a safe, attractive and welcoming environment for residents.

People can look forward to the tremendous outdoor that will be lavish, and open to passersby, and Kirkstall Road and the river are connected using a footpath. These are all available in the proposal presented to the Council. The company stated that they want to make use of the space and transform the are from a vacant dismissed place to the top of the line housing accommodation that will be open to the public and also connects River Aire to the grey block.

The Leeds City Council received an application for the outline planning permission on Tuesday, January 30. Online, people can make comments on the plans. This is possible by visiting the Leeds City Council website using the planning reference number 15/06844/OT.