Scheme for 501-bed student complex on YTV studio site

Councillors in Leeds will be asked on Thursday for their views on a plan for flats at 27 Burley Road at Woodhouse, although a planning application has yet to be submitted to the council.

The TV studio building has been vacant since the TV company decided to centralise its Emmerdale production unit to its main site in Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

The development site is located outside the city centre boundary as set out in the Unitary Development Plan Review, a council planning blueprint, and therefore there has to be a justification if the land is not used as an employment site.

Councillors and residents have also expressed concerns about the growth in student accommodation in the area.

Kirkstall councillor John Illingworth said the decline in the Leeds TV industry was also of concern.

“We have allowed the TV industry to decline,” he said.

“Although this is not a main studio, just an outbuilding, we should put more effort into not losing out to Manchester.

“If there is a future for Leeds it has got to be in the creative industries. Leeds needs to get its act together.

“People are also upset because there is a big concentration of student flats.”

A report on the developer’s plans will be discussed by members of the city centre plans panel on Thursday.

The report says the proposal is to create 501 student bed spaces within 77 cluster flats.

The flats are expected to be in a mixture of sizes, ranging from four to seven bedrooms, and these are located within three buildings.

The proposed buildings themselves “sit clear” of the boundaries of the land to allow sufficient distance to neighbouring buildings.

The layout would form a rough “figure 8”, creating two landscaped courtyards measuring around 21 metres by 30 metres.

At six storeys at the eastern end next to the Opal 2 student flats, the proposed buildings would then step down to a level of five storeys and then four storeys at the western end.

“The intention is for this to act as a transition from the taller buildings closer to the city centre down to the lower commercial units to the west,” the planning report notes.

The central block would be five storeys high, including a ground floor containing open sided cycle parking.

A gym with a nurse consultation room, a residents-only coffee bar and restaurant fronting Burley Road – and a laundry – will also be provided.

The cycle storage area would be able to accommodate 200 bikes and there would be an area where students can load and unload at the start and end of terms.

The developer has told the city council that they do not intend to provide any other parking on the site, other than for the disabled.

Councillors are being asked for their opinions on a number of questions about the developer’s plans.

They are being asked their views on the principle of the development, given the planning guidance about the desirability of it being used for employment purposes.

Councillors will also be asked about their views on the “stepped” nature of the design and whether it relates well to surrounding buildings.

They are also being asked for their views on the size of the courtyards and the lack of car parking.

The report says that local residents have previously raised objections to student schemes further to the east of this site. A report on residents’ views on the current plans is expected to be prepared by the developer.

Members of the plans panel will meet at the Civic Hall on Thursday from 12.30pm.