£190m residential scheme falls through

A £190M residential scheme by David Wilson Homes has fallen through.

The proposed site, which would have created 200 jobs in the village of Scholes to the north east of Leeds.

860 homes were supposed to have been built on the site, as well as education and community facilities.

Following discussions between Leeds City Council, Barratt and David Wilson Homes, an appeal for the use of land to the east of Scholes has been withdrawn.

The appeal was made in January, after complaints were made by residents, including Save our Scholes and the Scholes Independence Group during the consultation period. The decision was deferred again in June.

Complaints were made that the village would be doubled in size, potentially turning the village, which can trace its roots back more than 800 years, merely a suburb of Leeds.

They have agreed to work together at a much smaller scheme for the village, in attempts to assist the council in meeting the shortfall of housing.

Ian Ruthven, managing director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, said: “We can confirm that we are withdrawing our appeal on land east of Scholes within the next few days.

“We have built up a strong relationship with the Council working on a wide range of sites across the City and in the interests of maintaining a collaborative approach we have agreed that this is the best course of action for all parties.

“Given our interests across Leeds, and as one of the UK’s largest housebuilders, we will form an integral part of delivering the ambitious housing growth proposed by Leeds City Council within the Site Allocations Plan (SAP).

“As we have proven on recent schemes within the City, we remain committed to building high quality homes and communities in full collaboration with the Authority and the local community.”