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City Centre
Area Action Plan
Area Action Plans are a key priority of the Leeds Local
Development Framework. The focus of the City Centre Area Action
Plan is to promote the continued and sustainable renaissance and
development of the city centre as the hub of the City region.
Preparation of the Plan began in 2005, and on 27 September, Leeds
HMO Lobby participated in the 'Use & Function' Theme Workshop,
held as part of stage one of the preparation. The Lobby responded
to the Stage 1 Consultations on Residential
Options in April 2006, and to the Preferred
Options a year later in 2007.
City Centre Area Action Plan
Date: 28 September 2005
From: Leeds HMO Lobby
To: lois.pickering@leeds.gov.uk
Dear Lois, thank you for all your hard work in the Residential
Workshop yesterday afternoon. Here's a couple of follow-up notes.
# There are currently nearly 100,000 students in Leeds - but this
includes part-time. Those with residential requirements number about
40,000, according to Unipol.
# The necklace (or noose?) of purpose-built student accommodation
already circling the city centre comprises:
- in the NW, a de facto 'Woodhouse Student Village' in and adjacent
to the joint campus of the two universities on Woodhouse Lane, including
Charles Morris Hall, Ellerslie Hall, Lyddon Hall, Hyde Terrace,
Henry Price Flats, St Mark's Flats, Leodis Flats, Montague Burton
Flats (all University of Leeds), plus Carlton Hill, Woodhouse Flats,
Eldon Court, Samara Plaza, and the new development on the former
BBC site.
- in the W, another de facto 'Little Woodhouse Student Village',
eventually housing 3,000, including Sentinel Towers, Liberty Park,
and other developments on Burley Rd, Cavendish St (2), Park Lane/Belle
Vue Rd, West St/Marlborough St, Park Lane/Hanover Sq, Westfield/Burley
Rd (eg Concept House).
- in the N, development on Claypit Lane.
- in the E, the new Unipol development on Mill Street.
- in the S, Clarence Dock.
Hope this may be helpful. Cheers, Richard Tyler
^Top
Leeds HMO Lobby responded to the Stage 1 Consultations, Residential
Options, as follows.
City Centre Area Action Plan
Date: 26 April 2006
From: Leeds HMO Lobby
To: robin.coghlan@leeds.gov.uk
Dear Robin, I am writing to you as the contact for consultation
on the City Centre Area Action Plan, on behalf of Leeds HMO Lobby.
I am sending a paper copy of the Residential Response Form by post.
In addition, I wish to comment on Question RS06.
RS06 proposes two Options for the development of student housing,
either "anywhere in the city centre" or "only in
peripheral city centre locations well connected to universities."
Since Leeds HMO Lobby participated in the 'Uses & Functions'
Workshop on 27 September 2005, and played some part in devising
these two Options, the Lobby makes two observations.
First of all, the Lobby drew attention to the fact that many current
developments of student housing (as well as many already in place)
were in fact located on the periphery of the city centre (a 'necklace'
of development). Details were outlined in a subsequent email [below].
It is probably likely that any further developments will also be
on the periphery. But this is not to say that all such development
should be peripheral. Indeed, two of the longest-standing instances
of city-centre accommodation, provided by Unipol, are located at
1/7/11 New York Street and at Alexander Court in Alexander Street,
both in the heart of the city centre (respectively in the Shopping
Quarter and the Office Quarter, as designated in the UDP). While
anticipating that new development of student housing is likely to
be on the periphery, Leeds HMO Lobby would not wish to preclude
development anywhere in the city centre.
Partly, this is because a distinction between the centre of the
Centre and the periphery of the Centre is to a degree artificial.
Leeds city centre is not a large area, and all parts are pretty
well within walking distance of all other parts. Given that both
Leeds' universities have a campus entirely within the city centre,
this leads to our second observation: it is not really very meaningful
to refer to "peripheral city centre locations well connected
to universities." By the very fact of being within the city
centre, any such location is well connected to the universities.
This second qualification then is not really applicable. Again,
Leeds HMO Lobby would not wish to preclude development anywhere
in the city centre.
In fact, the Lobby endorses Unipol's City Living commitment:
"Unipol is committed to providing housing right in the centre
of Leeds. These developments are intended for students who want
to be 'at the heart' of a dynamic and thriving city, with restaurants,
bars and city centre life all around them. Many students have part-time
jobs in the city and for those who live in these developments home
is often just round the corner from work" (website: Unipol
Student Homes > Unipol Properties).
Best wishes, Richard Tyler, Leeds HMO Lobby
^Top
The Preferred
Options for the City Centre Area Action Plan were published
for consultation in April 2007.
Representation on
CITY CENTRE AREA ACTION PLAN
Preferred Options Main Report April 2007
Comment 1
Section 3 Preferred Options, PO No PO-08
With one qualification, Leeds HMO Lobby supports Preferred Option
PO-08 To encourage the development of purpose built student
accommodation... The Lobby agrees that (1) the city centre
is attractive to students, (2) in the north-west, it includes campuses
of both universities, and (3) the whole city centre is within easy
access of these campuses; additionally, (4) such development in
the city centre implements Policy H15A of the Revised
UDP (2006), and is in accordance with the Council’s Strategy
for Housing Students in Leeds (2007).
Comment 2
Section 3 Preferred Options, PO No PO-08
Leeds HMO Lobby recommends the addition of one qualification to
Preferred Option PO-08, namely except where the City Centre
falls within the Area of Housing Mix [that is, in Little Woodhouse].
Policy H15 of the Revised UDP (2006) places conditions on the development
of student housing within the Area of Housing Mix. (The accompanying
text also encourages proposals for purpose-built student housing,
but (a) this is only on the basis of a number of conditions, and
(b) it is accompanying text, not policy.) The protection provided
to vulnerable communities like Little Woodhouse by Policy H15 must
be maintained within the City Centre Area Action Plan.
Comment 3
Section 3 Preferred Options, Para 3.1.9
Para 3.1.9 states more dispersal of university teaching accommodation
away from the north west corner to the rest of the city centre could
have advantages in shifting the locus of accessible suburbs away
from the A660 Headingley corridor. Leeds HMO Lobby endorses
this view. Such development would further the aims of the Revised
UDP (2006) with regard to student housing, as well as those of the
Council’s Strategy for Housing Students in Leeds (2007). It
would reinforce measures to this end, such as those by Unipol in
its housing publicity.
Comment 4
Section 4 Proposal Area Statements, Para 4.7
Leeds Metropolitan University Civic Campus:
Leeds HMO Lobby supports Proposal iii, namely This proposals
area would be particularly acceptable for student accommodation.
Such a use could be accommodated preferably on upper floors within
a mixed use development. Such development would further Preferred
Option PO-08 in particular, and Policy H15A of the Revised UDP (2006)
in general.
Comment 5
Section 4 Proposal Area Statements, Para 4.10
University of Leeds Campus: Leeds HMO
Lobby supports Proposals ii and iii, namely More could be made
of St George’s Field for passive recreation and a tranquil
space and An east-west public pedestrian route using University
Road and a north-south route using the Willow Terrace bridge over
the Inner Ring Road should be identified. The adjoining neighbourhoods
have been overwhelmed by the impact of the recent expansion of the
University of Leeds (and also Leeds Metropolitan University). It
is only just that in return the amenities and through-routes of
the Campus be made more accessible to those neighbourhoods.
Leeds HMO Lobby, May 2007
^Top
Leeds HMO Lobby
email: hmolobby@hotmail.com
website: www.hmolobby.org.uk/leeds
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