Listed lodge acquired for luxury residential development

A historic building and surrounding land to the north of Leeds have been acquired by a property company co-founded by a former senior partner at PwC and the head of a construction components manufacturer.The Woodlands Lodge, a derelict grade II-listed building, has been acquired, together with surrounding parkland, for an undisclosed sum.Woodlands Lodge was part of the Scarcroft Lodge estate, built in 1830 by Quaker wool merchant Newman Cash. Former owners include the Earl of Mexborough and Albert Braithwaite, a former Lord Mayor of Leeds.In 1945, the 16-acre estate was acquired by the Yorkshire Electricity Company and was the office of Npower until being sold for development.Ducale Developments bought the Woodlands site from Audley Group, which recently completed work on Audley Scarcroft Park, a new retirement village centred around the restored grade II-listed Scarcroft Lodge, with 172 properties, a restaurant, health spa, gym and wellness studio.Woodlands Lodge is located at the entrance to Audley Scarcroft Park and will be converted and renovated to create four large luxury apartments and two detached executive homes. It is expected to be completed in early 2026.Ducale is owned by former senior PwC partner Ian Plunkett and David Flannery, the managing director of masonry support systems and structural building components manufacturer ACS Stainless.Ian Plunkett, director at Ducale, said: “We are excited to get started on creating something special in this unique space in a highly desirable part of north Leeds. We’ve enjoyed working with John and his team at Audley on this deal.”Plunkett was former partner and head of private business at PwC in Yorkshire and assurance leader for the firm in the UAE. He left PwC in 2020 to start a private investment vehicle, MagicDust PartnersJohn Nettleton, group land director at Audley Group, added: “This was a complex deal given the site’s proximity to Audley Scarcroft Park. Ducale’s approach aligns well with Audley and we are confident the team will create a scheme of the highest quality which complements the village.”Ducale Developments was advised by Leonie Byrne and Richard Bellamy at Shoosmiths in Leeds. Audley was represented by Jasvinder Sahotay at Steptoe LLP London Office.