Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer setting out the current position with regards to redevelopment proposals for the site of Leeds Girls High School, Headingley.

(Report attached)

The Chief Planning Officer submitted a report setting out the current position with regards to redevelopment proposals for the Leeds Girl High School site in Headingley, Leeds LS6. Plans and photographs of the site; indicative drawings of the proposals along with architect’s 3D graphics to provide some idea of the scale and massing were displayed at the meeting. Members had visited the site prior to the meeting.

The Panel noted the school comprised four sites and six applications were intended –

• Main school site incorporating Rose Court and Rose Court Lodge, bordered by Headingley Lane & Victoria Road (Applications 08/04214/OT; 08/04216/FU; 08/04217/CA; 08/04219/FU and 08/04220/LI) – for residential development
• Ford House and gardens/sports pitch to the north of Victoria Road – intended for public park
• The swimming pool/gym/hockey pitch to the south of Victoria Road (Application 08/04218/OT) – for residential development, although the sports hall and swimming pool to be conveyed to Leeds Met University with a Community Access Agreement
• Elinor Lupton House on Headingley Lane/Richmond Road

The key issues for consideration were outlines as the principle of the development; the impact on the Headingley Conservation area and its’ character and appearance developer contributions and highways and parking implications.

Officers highlighted the following:

Rose Court and Rose Court Lodge - intention was to ensure this residential conversion would be undertaken by a developer with proven history of Listed Building redevelopment

Main site – to include a green corridor with pedestrian linkages through. The former tennis courts will provide a courtyard area and all new build residential units will be to edge of site

Protected Playing Pitches - 3 sites designated as such in the UDP so consideration of the loss and replacement of pitches and tennis courts was a key issue under PPG17 but this to be balanced with the benefit of significant green spaces within the development which will be public spaces – previously there were no public green spaces within the school site.

School pitches - the merging of Leeds Girls High School (LGHS) with Leeds Boys Grammar School had provided LGHS with more than adequate provision at the Alwoodley site.

Greenspace/playing pitch provision in Headingley – the LPA would look for on-site space for residents as an immediate need, then for wider accessibility for all community. A map showing the location of all greenspace/playing pitch provision in the ward was displayed at the meeting. Officers felt that overall this proposal would achieve public greenspace provision on site and although there was no greenspace within the Victoria Road site the pedestrian linkages between the sites would address the deficit. It was reported that both Parks & Countryside and Sports England were still assessing the proposals.

Affordable Housing - 15% was required on site and the developer proposed a commuted sum rather than on site provision. Further consideration of whether that funding could be used to address the balance of family housing/HMO stock in Headingley was required.

Swimming Pool and Sports Hall – intended for Leeds Metropolitan University with public access arrangements.

Highways – the access to the site which also gives access to numbers 5, 7 and 9 Chestnut Avenue and to Back Chestnut Avenue, is wide enough to accommodate two-way traffic. However, the presence of existing on-street parking will need to be addressed by the introduction of Traffic Regulation Orders.

Housing mix - 151 units, the majority being family homes comprising 29 three bed town houses on Victoria Road; 59 three bed town houses on main site and 63 apartments.

Members commented:

Site Designation - Clarification required on whether the site was greenfield as locally the sites would be regarded as green sites and it was LCC policy to defend these. Officers advised the sites were regarded as “curtilage” of the former school and therefore were previously developed brown field sites but agreed the LPA must be sure of the designation of the sites prior to permission.

Sports Hall & Pool – local ward members reported the University no longer wished to manage these and Panel considered what impact this would have on the merit of the overall proposals.

Objections – some Members felt that a large number of the existing objections received before the proposals were revised, would still stand.

Buildings – building on site very important to locality and needed to be retained and re-used

Officers listed the information still required from the developers as the submission of detailed design drawings, an updated Transport Assessment; Travel Plan: detailed heads of terms of the S106 and a Design Access Statement.

Members commented that the proposals had been in the public domain since 2008 and expressed their disappointment that the detailed documents had still not been submitted. Panel further commented that from the information available there did not appear to be a significant difference between the proposals originally mooted and these before Panel today. Some Members were minded to propose refusal of the scheme at this point, to allow the applicants the opportunity of submitting a fresh application with fresh details, rather than continue to amend elements of the scheme which created confusion about the proposals actually to be determined.

In conclusion Members reiterated their concerns over the designation of the greenspaces as “brownfield curtilage” and subsequent proposed loss of the playing pitches. The Panel wished to see the detail of the applications presented as soon as possible and the Chief Planning Officer agreed to write to LGHS to express the Panels’ concerns and seeking submission of all relevant documents pertaining to the application within the next 2 weeks.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the position statement  and the comments of the Panel be noted

b)  That the Chief Planning Officer write to LGHS expressing the Panels’ concerns and seeking submission of all relevant documents pertaining to the applications within 2 weeks from the date of this meeting