Kirkstall Forge residential plans move forward

Proposals for the first phase of residential development at the £400m Kirkstall Forge development in Leeds have moved forward with a detailed planning application lodged for the project.CEG has submitted a reserved matters application to Leeds City Council for plots E and F at Kirkstall Forge, following on from a public consultation earlier this year.Planning permission is sought for a total of 213 residential units, with a mix of houses and apartments.Two apartment buildings would be built just north of the river, each set over nine floors with upper floors set back. These would comprise 136 units, ranging from studios to three-bed apartments, with leisure and retail space on the ground floor. They would be set around amenity space, a new public plaza and pocket park.A total of 77 houses would also be created, comprising three to five-bedroom units.A design and access statement submitted as part of the application said: “This is a very exciting opportunity to create a locally and nationally important new mixed use community within a stunning landscape setting.”CEG secured reserved matters (detailed) planning permission for 135 homes last year and has built two prototype homes. The new application is intended to supersede the previous scheme.Ultimately, Kirkstall Forge is set to provide up to 1,450 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space.Plans for the next phase of next phase of commercial development, known as 2 Kirkstall Forge, were approved earlier this year. This phase will be capable of accommodating a workforce of up to 2,000 people within two office buildings, with leisure and retail uses on the ground floor.CEG has been support in the new reserved matters application by Lichfields, Cartwright Pickard, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Planit-IE, Pierre Angulaire, Richard Boothroyd Associates, Curtins, Bryan G Hall, and Hoare Lea.