Amended plans for £185m Leeds scheme approved

Amended planning consent has been secured for a £185m mixed-use, residential led scheme in the East of Leeds city centre.Cole Waterhouse and Tonia Investments acquired the 3.8-acre site in May 2022 with full detailed planning permission for 1,012 apartments across five towers with commercial space on the ground floor.Following the deal, Leeds-based DLG Architects and landscape specialists Exterior Architects were appointed to review the design with a focus on enhanced placemaking and a significant review of its wind mitigation features.A Section 73 Minor Material Amendment Application was submitted for the Leeds Urban Village development in December 2023.Leeds Urban Village will comprise 1,012 apartments across five towers ranging from 13 to 23 storeys and will include 478 BTR apartments.The ground floor spaces will accommodate retail, food and beverage as well as a range of resident amenities such as a shared pantry, cinema, gym and a ‘library of things’ stocking appliances and useful equipment for people to borrow.George Smith, planning manager at Cole Waterhouse, said: “These design enhancements will ensure that Leeds Urban Village is a desirable new urban neighbourhood and a cultural destination in itself, designed to meet and exceed people’s expectations now and in the future.”Located in the heart of Leeds city centre with both the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Great Northern Ballet nearby, we have looked at how we best build on the surrounding cultural offer to deliver a vibrant and meaningful placemaking strategy to strengthen further our engagement with the cultural and creative community in Leeds as our vision for the site develops.”We have been working with Colliers to secure development funding and also working on the appointment of a main contractor. We are aiming to start on site in Q2 2024 to deliver the first phases of much needed Built-to-Rent homes for the city of Leeds.”The public realm, designed by Exterior Architecture, includes a climbing wall and spaces for active play, while a large central hub offers opportunities for events, markets and gatherings.In addition, a new cycle hub within the public realm is proposed with direct platform lift access to basement parking and a range of high-quality cycle welfare facilities.