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Kirkstall Road Renaissance
Comments on the Draft Planning Framework
1. Leeds HMO Lobby is an association of local community associations,
recognised by Leeds City Council as representative of the community
in Inner NW Leeds in respect of student housing and related issues.
It is in this capacity that, in the spirit of community involvement,
the Lobby comments on the Draft Planning Framework for the Kirkstall
Road Renaissance Area.
2. The Lobby’s main interest is in Area 4 of the Framework,
currently designated ‘City Heights’. The Lobby is surprised
that the Framework entirely overlooks the dominant feature of this
Area, namely the proposals for student accommodation. To be sure,
in 4.4, the Framework notes the “relative proximity to the
University [of Leeds] and area affected by the activities of Area
of Student Housing Restraint ... recent housing developments ...
Sentinel Towers ... Further housing developments are under construction
or undergoing development assessment ... The current proposals at
various stages of progress are all for residential purposes: high
density cluster housing.” But there is no reference to the
fact that this Area includes eight developments (including Sentinel
Towers) intended for student accommodation, which in total would
comprise some 3,000 bedspaces (see Appendix). Leeds HMO Lobby has
drawn these developments to the attention of the Council’s
Student Housing Project Group, which has acknowledged its significance.
Collectively, these developments have become known as ‘Little
Woodhouse Student Village’ – and the Lobby suggests
that this would in fact be a better designation for Area 4.
3. Not recognising the potential ‘Village’, the Framework
does not attempt an evaluation. One advantage it offers is that
it is (partly) in accordance with Policy H15A of Leeds UDP Review,
which is intended to disperse student accommodation in the city,
thereby drawing it away from ASHORE. However, on the other hand,
the ‘Village’ in fact straddles the boundary of ASHORE,
and is therefore contrary to the provisions of Policy H15 of the
Review. Again (for that very reason) it presents a profound threat
to the residential area of Little Woodhouse, which lies directly
between the ‘Village’ and the University campus. Moreover,
the development of the ‘Village’ is detrimental, not
only to Little Woodhouse residents, but also to the potential residents
of the ‘Village’ itself – it is entirely lacking
in the infrastructure to be expected for so intensive a development,
including connections between the developments, on-site amenity
spaces, facilities (like shops) and services (especially medical,
for instance), and so on. The emergence of the ‘Village’
represents a failure of development control.
4. The Lobby recommends, first, that the presence of a potential
student village in Area 4 be properly documented in the Framework.
Secondly, the Lobby recommends that a full evaluation of the implications
of this village be undertaken, in conjunction with all interested
parties, especially Little Woodhouse Community Association in particular
(and Leeds HMO Lobby in general), and also Unipol and the University
of Leeds. Finally, the Lobby recommends that the Framework include
proposals for action to address all the issues arising from its
evaluation.
5. Leeds HMO Lobby looks forward to recognition of ‘Little
Woodhouse Student Village’ in the next draft of the Planning
Framework for Kirkstall Road Renaissance Area, and to contributing
to its development.
Appendix: Little Woodhouse Student Village
Established: Sentinel Towers, Cavendish St (243)
20/80/04 Burley Rd: Leeds 1 (1003)
20/290/02 Cavendish St: UNITE (c500)
20/401/02 Cavendish St: RSPCA (outline)
20/447/03 Park Ln/Belle Vue Rd: RMP (363)
20/648/01 West St/Marlborough St: Pinnacle (c630)
26/360/01 Park Lane/Hanover Sq: Rushbond (70)
26/201/03 Westfield/Burley Rd: Chinacorp (305)
Leeds HMO Lobby, July 2005
Leeds HMO Lobby
email: hmolobby@hotmail.com
website: www.hmolobby.org.uk/leeds
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