Plans to deliver a 230-home “co-living” development in the heart of Leeds city centre have been recommended for approval by Leeds City Council’s planning department.
The scheme – Headrow House – is developer Watkin Jones’ first co-living project in the city and will bring together private studio spaces with cooking and en-suite facilities as well as shared spaces for residents to meet, relax and socialise. Watkin Jones has built similar schemes in Bristol and Exeter.
A decision on the scheme is expected next week. Should it be successful the Headrow House will be marketed primarily at graduates and young professionals in the city. Leeds Civic Trust has given support to the plans, welcoming the environmental benefits of refurbishing an existing building.
Martin Hamilton, director of Leeds Civic Trust, said: “Leeds Civic Trust supports re-use and adaptation as a means of bringing new life to buildings and the carbon savings that result. We support this proposal for Headrow House which for the first time brings co-living into the city centre.
“This type of dwelling is particularly suitable for graduates and could play a role in retaining key skills in Leeds providing quality accommodation with shared communal and outdoor spaces. From the earliest discussions we had with the developer Watkin Jones, we could see the benefits of this scheme and were able to give it our support.”
Iain Smith, planning director at Watkin Jones, said: “We have been strongly encouraged by the support that we have received for our Headrow House co-living plans, including that of Leeds Civic Trust and local businesses. Co-living will address an important residential need in Leeds, helping to retain more graduates and young professionals in the city. And as a building refurbishment, we will also deliver huge carbon savings which is in line with our strong ESG credentials to minimise environmental impacts on all our schemes.
“As a direct result of feedback from members and planning officers, we have made a number of improvements to the scheme including increasing the room sizes and the internal and external communal space – and are grateful for the positive recommendation from planning officers for our application.”
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber