Dozens object to flats plan for ex-children's home

A plan to convert a former children's home into flats has received almost 90 objections, with concerns raised over road safety and the impact it could have on a conservation area.

Proposals to Leeds City Council to turn the former St Margaret's children's home on Moor Road in Headingley into 30 flats have received a total of 89 letters of objection, with just three in support of the scheme.

Planning documents stated the development would see part of the current building demolished, with some two and three-storey extensions added.

Council officers have recommended the scheme should be approved when it is considered by planners on 9 January.

The scheme would bring the site, formerly owned by the Catholic diocese, back into use after it fell into disrepair, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A planning report said the site had been "vacant for a significant period of time and the buildings have been subject to vandalism".

Lodging its objection to the proposed development, the Far Headingley Village Society said it hoped "a more sympathetic scheme can be proposed and accepted as soon as possible".

Meanwhile, Leeds Civic Society raised concerns over the size of a proposed car park at the site.

The council received three letters in favour of the proposal, with one stating that the site had been "an eyesore" for more than 20 years, with buildings "vandalised and the grounds overgrown".

Approval of the plan would be subject to a set of conditions, including financial contributions towards nearby traffic schemes and the provision of five affordable homes.

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