Scaled-back and ‘slightly awkward’ 400-apartment scheme brought forward
A Leeds City Council planning committee will get its first official look at plans for a 36-storey residential tower on the edge of Leeds city centre next week.
City Life has drawn up a significantly revised scheme for Two Springwell Gardens in Holbeck.
The site, close to the junction with Whitehall Road, would be the second phase of the Springwell development, with One Springwell Gardens having broken ground in November 2021.
Number One is a curved 16-storey brick development with 224 apartments.
Its neighbour, Two, was first presented to the council in November 2019 at pre-application stage as a 24-storey development.
City Life then drew up plans in 2020 for a 46-storey glass tower, which has been scaled back after negotiations with Leeds City Council planning officers.
The proposed development would see the existing Cartwright House demolished and replaced by a 36-storey residential development with 402 apartments.
Chief planning officer David Feeney said: “This is still a tall structure and it has to be said that the relationship between the proposed and the adjacent development known as ‘One Springwell Gardens’ presented as ‘Phase 1’ of the development is slightly awkward.”
7% of the scheme – 29 apartments – would be classed as affordable.
Two Springwell Gardens would have 194 1-bed, 169 2-bed, and 39 3-bed apartments. There would be 18 car parking spaces, each with an EV charging point, 14 motorcycle spaces, and storage for 424 bikes.
The 24-storey design was considered “acceptable in principle” by the council’s city centre plans panel at pre-application stage.
Feeney added: “The proposal differed from the current proposal in terms of height, landscaping and balcony provision and it is considered that the current proposal is a markedly different scheme to the one put before Panel.
“Given the additional height and increase in number of dwellings, the difference in building materials and removal of external landscaping and balconies, along with the amount of time since members at City Centre Panel came to a view, it has been decided between Officers and Panel Chairs that the current full application should be determined at South and West Plans Panel.”
The panel will meet next Thursday to be presented with the scheme for members to consider and comment on, ahead of a formal plans panel presentation at a later date.
