Homes plan for historic Leeds building blocked by council

The planned conversion of a fire-damaged historic building into homes has been blocked by the council.

An extension would have been added to the main building and surrounding buildings also converted.

The scheme would have brought the site, which is on the council’s Heritage at Risk register, back into use.

But a council planning officer’s report said the development would be “unsympathetic” to its surroundings.

It said: “Conservation officers strongly object to the proposal and advise that, whilst the principle of securing a viable long-term use for Freedom House is supported, the scheme has failed to address long-standing heritage concerns.”

Fourteen homes were first proposed but the scheme was downsized following discussions with the council.

A design report by Roger Lee Planning said the site had been empty for around ten years and had been hit by thefts and vandalism.

It said: “The scheme has been revised from that proposed at pre-application stage with the number of units provided in the conversion much reduced, which enables many of the original features within the listed building to be retained.”

The council report said the current proposal faced road safety concerns from the highways team.

The appearance and design of the proposed homes was also given as a reason for refusal.

The report said: “The proposed layout is overly formal and regimented, failing to reflect the organic character of the site or the setting of the listed building.

“The development lacks a varied mix of dwelling types, scales and forms appropriate to the historic context.”