Headingley student flats plan gets council thumbs-down

9.00.00am GMT Fri 22nd Feb 2008

Local Lib Dems have welcomed news that plans for student flats in Hyde Park ward have been thrown out by councillors.

Plans for a 6 storey building to house over 250 students on Cardigan Road, Headingley, went before the meeting of Leeds City Council's Plans Panel West on Thursday 21st February.

Members of the committee voted to reject the proposals on the basis that they would have placed an unacceptable burden on an area already densely populated with students and lacked adequate provision for parking and green space. There were also concerns about the visual impact of the proposals.

The scheme also met with opposition from the Leeds HMO lobby who made objections to the committee.

Councillor Penny Ewens (Lib Dem, Hyde Park and Woodhouse) welcomed the panel's decision:

"This development would have added yet more student households to an area that is already saturated with them.

"The committee rightly judged that there were serious issues concerning green space and the appearance of the building would have been unsympathetic to the area.

"The proposal completely lacked adequate provision for parking and would have created massive demand for spaces on nearby streets.

Cllr Martin Hamilton (Lib Dem, Headingley) praised the efforts of local people in opposing the scheme:

"This application aroused a lot of opposition from local residents groups and I would like to pay tribute to their hard work objecting to the scheme.

"I am delighted that we have got the right result."