Residents disappointed school site development still possible

About 50 residents were in the council chamber to urge a planning committee to reject proposals for the former Leeds Girls High School site in Headingley, which will involve the loss of protected playing fields.

The school merged with Leeds Grammar School in 2008 and moved to Alwoodley, where replacement sports facilities were created.

The merged school wants permission for 117 homes, with apartments making up about half of the properties, on the Headingley site, but objectors want to retain green space for primary school children.

More than 1,300 people have objected to the plans.

Yesterday councillors decided to postpone a decision on five applications relating to the site as they are not satisfied with several aspects of the proposals.

These include the height and siting of a four-storey block of apartments, as well as concerns about the density of the development and the loss of playing fields and the extent of demolition proposed for the main school building.

Officers are now expected to go back to the site's owner, a trust set up by the school, in an attempt to iron out issues.

After yesterday's three-hour meeting, campaigner and Headingley resident Sue Buckle claimed councillors should have thrown out the proposals.

She said: "I'm disappointed, it should have been rejected. You feel that you are being worn down. A lot of us have spent hours on this over the last couple of years."

During the meeting, councillors expressed reservations about the scheme, particularly over the loss of open spaces. Some claimed the plans lacked detail and that the council had "rushed" the reports. Headingley councillor Jamie Matthews said: "This is a very dense development – a lot of people are going to be using quite a small site. This will affect half of my ward."

And he said the building of a four-storey block of apartments would create a "fortress" at the site.

Chief planning officer Phil Crabtree told the meeting that the site owner was keen to have a decision on the plans because its financial advisers were pressing it to realise the asset.

He said further delays could lead to an applicant appealing against the council's failure to determine the application.

This would mean the plans being taken out of the hands of councillors and put before a planning inspector.

But Coun Matthews said the revised plans had only recently been publicly released which meant not everyone had had a chance to view and comment upon them during the holiday period.

He said: "The school's financial situation, I'm afraid, we have sympathy but that's not of any consequence to local people who are going to be left with this for ever onwards. I'm sorry but local people come first on this one."

The meeting heard from Stuart Natkus, the agent acting for the applicant, who said the site's open space had been looked at and deemed unsuitable for football, rugby and hockey.

He said nearby Woodhouse Moor could be used for such activities and the facilities at the former school had always been private.

Mr Natkus said the applicant had fulfilled previous requests made by residents, including carrying out a tree survey and a conservation appraisal.

He said the scheme would provide 15 per cent of affordable housing or provide money to allow the purchase of student properties in Headingley to be sold or rented to families only.