Approval for 1,000 homes on site of Leeds’ first rail station

Plans to develop more than 1,000 homes on the site of Leeds’ first ever railway station have been given the green light.Leeds-based property investor and developer Rushbond Group and residential specialist Gold and Amber submitted plans to Leeds City Council in 2019 for the Leeds City Village scheme on a site between Marsh Lane and Shannon Street, on the East Side of Leeds’ city centre.The Marsh Lane Goods Yard was the site of the Leeds’ first ever railway station in 1834. It has been identified as a development opportunity in Leeds City Council’s development plan.The plans cover the construction of five blocks ranging in height from 12 to 22 storeys, comprising a total of 1,012 apartments.A mix of one- two- and three-bedroom apartments are planned, as well as live/work units, amenities, ground floor commercial units.A ‘village green’ will also be created, offering a children’s play area, recreational seating and a drinking fountain.A total of 145 car parking spaces will be provided across the development, together with 29 motorcycle spaces and 613 bicycle spaces.Planning permission has now been granted by the council, subject to conditions, under delegated powers. An S106 legal agreement was signed in October 2021.It added that there had been no request by a ward member to refer the application to a Plans Panel, the proposal does not constitute a departure from the development plan, it is not considered to have sensitive or controversial impacts on local communities and there has been no objection raised by a statutory technical consultee. As such, it can be dealt with by delegated decision.The scheme has been designed by Leeds-based Brewster Bye Architects, while the Leeds office of Lichfields is the planning consultant and agent on the application.