Plans to turn former Leeds high school to into 82 homes enters consultation phase

Plans for the building of 82 affordable houses, with associated open space and infrastructure, were submitted in November this year.

The former Hough Side High School Site, at Hough Top Swinnow, in Leeds, could be turned into homes as the planning has moved to the consultation phase.

The plans propose to build 55 houses - made up of 28 two-bedroom, 23 three-bedroom and four 4+ bedroom homes - and 27 two-bedroom flats.

Each home is to have its own parking spaces and private garden space and the 27 flats will be situated in a proposed three-storey apartment block.

The majority of the properties will be semi-detached, with detached and corner-turn properties proposed too, according to the planning proposal.

In the planning application, Leeds City Council spoke of the importance of building new affordable homes.

They said: “There is a shortage of affordable housing in the Pudsey Ward, with an average of 358 bids for each home advertised in the local area.

"Leeds City Council is working to deliver approximately 800 new affordable quality homes over the next 3 years to meet increasing need in the city. This housing development would support the

council’s priorities of providing quality, affordable housing where it is needed.

“This proposal will also bring a currently unused site back into use.”

Hough Side High School closed over 30 years ago, in August 1992, and from then the site was used as Leeds City Council office space until 2019.

However, in late 2021 demolition of the buildings started and continued into 2022, due to a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plans for the redevelopment will be in the consultation phase for a minimum of 21 days, during this time comments on the application are invited from the public and technical consultees.

When plans were first put in for the transformation, in early November this year, nine comments from the public were submitted – three supporting the plans, four objecting to them and two neutral comments. The cut-off date for comments is January 3, 2024.