Councillors in Leeds have backed plans to demolish the city's' House of Fraser department store and replace it with student flats.
The flats are set to replace the store, which occupied its Briggate premises, once the home of the city's first ever Woolworths. 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.
Just five objections against the scheme were put forward in regards to concerns over the new building's height. However, 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.
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 nextdoor.
“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.”
Councillors did express concerns about how Central Road, which runs to the rear of the property, will function.
The street is used by both pedestrians and traffic, with developers Dukelease promising to retain the disabled parking that exists in the area as part of the proposals. The new building’s student reception will also be accessed from Central Road.
Councillor Campbell said the area was “not very pleasant” and hoped it would be improved. He said: “I’d like to see it be more pedestrian-friendly. There will be a lot of students in here. On a hot day like today, it’s a fair distance for them to walk to any green space and so therefore they will spill out onto the surrounding road network.”
The developers said the issue was subject to “ongoing discussion” as the road is owned and maintained by the council. However, they promised that benches, improved paving and “breakout spaces” on Central Road would all feature as part of the scheme.
The property site was once occupied by Leeds’ Grand Central Hotel, until that was demolished to make way for a purpose-built store for Woolworths in the 1920s. That building itself was knocked down to make way for a new structure around 30 years later, with Woolworths staying there until the 1980s.
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