Plans for 32-storey tower alongside development of listed mill set for green light
Plans for the proposed development of a 32-storey tower alongside the re-development of a historical site in Leeds have been recommended for approval.
CityLife Holdings submitted plans to develop the Midland Mills buildings into 22 residential apartments and build 284 apartments in a new 32-storey Midland tower on the site, which is situated on Silver Street on the South Bank.
The firm is also seeking to build a communal gym, a resident’s lounge and cinema room for use of the occupants. There would also be commercial spaces on the ground floors of the Midland Mills buildings. The application will be discussed next week.
The application states: “Around Midland Mills and the new Midland Tower it is proposed to create a hard and soft landscaped scheme linking in to existing footpaths on Water Lane, Silver Street and Bath Road. This landscaping would incorporate feature green walls which would function as a wind mitigation measure.”
No car parking is proposed at the site other than bays being laid out for the provision of car club vehicles for use by the residents. A total of 266 secure long stay cycle spaces and 56 short stay cycle spaces would be provided.
Midland Mills comprises a number of early 1800 brick buildings of two and three storeys in height, arranged in two north-south orientated rows, either side of a cobbled courtyard with a narrow 5 metre wide access along Silver Street from the north.
The earliest building dates from 1802 with most of the others dating from the 1810s. The site is one of the earliest surviving examples of an integrated engineering works specialising in the production of textile machinery and its historical importance is recognised by its grade II listing.
Midland Mills is currently in use for the storage and salvage of prestige car parts and the adjacent open land is in use as surface car parking related to a motor repair business. The full site is 2880 sq metres.
The site is surrounded by a number of historical former industrial foundry buildings set within Holbeck Conservation Area, and Holbeck Urban Village and many of the immediate area’s public spaces have been upgraded. In addition, the mill complex and open land within the site are adjacent to the redundant viaduct. The site is also within Flood Zone 3.
The Holbeck Conservation Area is considered to be an area of local, national, and international importance in respect of the historical significance and architectural merits of its buildings, as well as for the potential archaeological discoveries that the area could elicit. The area is considered to be the foundation of the Industrial
Planning permission and listed building consent were originally granted for a change of use including alterations a 2 storey infill extension, a 2 storey and a 3 storey extension and a roof extension to the former workshops to form offices and 15 flats on 6 May 2010. This scheme has not
been implemented.
