Leeds's '˜oldest site' put up for sale by council chiefs

A treasured Medieval barn dubbed 'the oldest site in Leeds' has been put up for sale by council bosses.
For sale: Stank Hall Barn. Picture: Friends of Stank Hall Barn.For sale: Stank Hall Barn. Picture: Friends of Stank Hall Barn.
For sale: Stank Hall Barn. Picture: Friends of Stank Hall Barn.

Leeds City Council is now asking for expressions of interest in redevelopment for the Grade II*-Listed Stank Hall Barn complex, near the White Rose shopping centre, part of which dates back to the 13th century.

The Friends of Stank Hall Barn group have lodged a bid to acquire the Dewsbury Road site for “community purposes” and turn the barn into a community centre, after it has lay derelict for nearly three decades.

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The entire complex, centred around the barn, a Scheduled Monument, includes Stank Hall and the fire-damaged New Hall, according to the council.

In a statement, the Friends group said the complex is “very important historically”, and that it had previously been unsuccessfully put up for sale by the council in the past.

They have outlined plans to also turn the chapel into business units and to develop New Hall into affordable housing.

The statement said: “As a Friends group we have the capacity to be able to access funding to put these plans into action and have raised this with Leeds City Council several times over the last few years, but the sales plan has gone ahead again.

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“The Friends of Stank Hall do have concerns that, should the Stank Hall site be bought by developers, it may be left to deteriorate further, if the council don’t put contingencies and enforcements in place to begin the necessary refurbishments straight away with a deadline.

“We have been working with Historic England and supported by local councillors to try to ensure that the future of the oldest site in Leeds, and what should be the pride of south Leeds, can move forward to a better place.”

The council is inviting expressions of interest for people who want to refurbish or redevelop the site to “secure the long term preservation” of the buildings.

Expressions of interest can be lodged until noon on Friday, April 27 at www.leeds.gov.uk