Historic stone cottage on Heritage at Risk Register to be auctioned off by council

Lobb Cottage, a disused period bungalow near Roundhay School, is expected to be sold by Leeds City Council after it fell into disrepair. It is hoped the cottage, which is on Leeds Civic Trust’s Heritage at Risk register, will be brought back into use as a private home.

A council report said: “Lobb Cottage is a stone built period bungalow which has been unused for some time and is now deteriorating in condition. Sale of the cottage will create a capital receipt for the council’s services, and remove an ongoing health and cost liability for the council. Sale of the cottage will benefit the local area by bringing the property back into use as a private dwelling.”

The report said provisions had been made in the sale contract to prevent demolition of the cottage and see it refurbished within 12 months.

The report said: “The cottage is not a listed building but is a positive building in the designated conservation area of Roundhay, and is a non designated heritage asset in its own right. It was previously used as a residential premises but now sits empty on an attractive piece of land and in a sought-after location.”

A formal decision notice published by the council said the approximate value was between £100,000 and £500,000. Disposal at public auction was likely to raise more cash than a private sale.

The report said: “An alternative option would be to not sell the property and either refurbish and let the property or demolish and sell the land. Both options would be costly and time consuming and the return on investment if the property were to be refurbished and let may be slow.”