People in Leeds have been left furious after councillors backed plans to turn the iconic House of Fraser store into student flats.
Earlier this week, just five Leeds city councillors put objections in against the plans to turn the store, which occupied its Briggate premises, once the home of the city's first ever Woolworths, into student flats. Developers are now set to build a 10-storey block of flats which could house up to 369 university students. It is expected there could still be room for shops on the ground and basements floors.
At a planning meeting on Thursday, Leeds city councillors said they would be pleased to see the back of the "ugly" House of Fraser building, which was put up in the late 1950s.
Read more: Leeds House of Fraser store set to close for good and be demolished
The plan has not gone down well with people on social media who said, "Haven't we got enough student flats?"
Craig Barnes: "Students do not spend money. They bring little to towns and cities they reside in." His thoughts were echoed by Avril Denton, who said: "Haven’t we got enough student flats!! What is Leeds City Council doing to our town centre? Ruining it !!!! We had a wonderful shopping centre, I loved going to town every week for lunch and a browse round shops with friends now it will be full of students dressed as nuns, penguins and umper lumpers Pub crawling just like they turned Headingley into!!"
Deniece Bridge posted that "there will be nothing left" and predicted Marks and Spencer could be next to go. They said: "Leeds City Council has taking away our history of Leeds all for money. They have taken away Debenhams. Will M&S be next. There is absolutely nothing left! How many more students accommodation does the city need?"
Julie Lorello added: "That land mark was Woolworths, disgusting taking away Leeds history, for more flats that's what Leeds centre as become, Leeds as it was is no more."
Jan Ferguson said that "everything will be for students," and Marie Newby wrote: "So there getting rid of one of our last department stores for student flats.. That's shocking.. Leave the students where they are.. We don't want our city being ruined with student flats.. You just have to take a walk around Hyde Park to see how they live.. Rubbish all over"
Following the planning meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Campbell said: “I think (the proposal) is actually quite a nice design. It works and it will improve Briggate. This seems to me a sympathetic development down there. I do appreciate that it’s taller than other buildings round there and taller than the ones next door.
“But I think we have to be realistic that there needs to be certain mass within the development.”
Labour member Asghar Khan said: “Many people will not be saddened to miss that building. This new proposal is a remarkable building and it will improve the area as well. I welcome this new design. I think it will blend in really nicely.”
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