Planning approval secured to convert former care home into apartments

The £2.5m redevelopment of a former care home site in a Leeds suburb has been given the green light after an 18-month long battle to secure planning approval.

The former Oakvilla care home in Chapel Allerton is set to be transformed into 14 two-bedroom apartments under plans agreed by Leeds City Council earlier this month.

The properties are being built by a local developer as part of an initiative that will boost the regeneration of the site and help to meet the demand for new properties.

The news is the culmination of almost two years of wrangling between the local authority and North Yorkshire planning consultancy and project management experts DPA Planning.

Despite previous setbacks, Sam Dewar, owner of DPA Planning, has won approval for the project on appeal, convincing planning committee members to grant permission for a scheme that’s attracting considerable interest from potential home owners and investors.

Dewar, who has more than a 95% success rate in securing planning permission for clients, welcomed the council’s decision, adding that redevelopment of the Harehills Lane site is a big step forward.

He said: “This is a great result and we’re delighted to have played our part in securing the go ahead for a project that will see the transformation of the site.

“It’s a good resolution of what has been a protracted planning process. The battle was hard fought but we’re delighted to see that common sense has prevailed in the end.”