Pickard Properties will embark on creating a new community in North West Leeds after securing planning permission from the City Council.
The developer, which has a portfolio of properties it has developed or refurbished to retain as a landlord, will regenerate the site of the former Weetwood Police Station into a purpose-built residential scheme.
Comprising 127 built-to-rent apartments, the scheme will create much-needed new homes in this popular area of the city.
With a mix of one-two-and-three-bedroom apartments, the scheme will be highly-energy efficient and benefit from solar power and EV charging points, along with green roofs which will increase biodiversity and act as a natural air purifier.
The scheme will also enhance the local environment with green communal areas and landscaping to complement the established tree line, which separates the site from Otley Road, and will be expanded with the planting of new trees.
The communal landscaped areas will also be publicly accessible with new pathways proposed that will allow local people to walk through and enjoy the green spaces.
The site was acquired by Pickard Properties after West Yorkshire Police closed the station and put the building up for sale in 2020.
The company has worked closely with its development team, Leeds-based planning consultants, Quod and Project Management & Quantity Surveyors, Fox Lloyd Jones, also based in Leeds, to design the project. A construction contractor will soon be appointed to deliver the scheme.
Miles Pickard, director of Pickard Properties, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to regenerate a disused site to build a new community in North West Leeds, which will seamlessly fit into the local area. It will create much-needed new homes in this popular part of the city and also enhance the area with new community green spaces.
“We appreciate the feedback from the community and look forward to engaging with them further as we create this new development and the additional local green area amenities it will offer the wider community.
“As with all our schemes, we will not only be developing this site, we will also be the landlord maintaining a long-term commitment to the area through the provision of high quality, sustainable homes that bring added economic and social value across Leeds and West Yorkshire.”
Daniel Jameson, Director at Fox Lloyd Jones, said: “The development team has worked closely with design officers at Leeds City Council in development proposals to transform this well positioned, but underutilised brownfield site into a modern residential scheme with high ecological and sustainable credentials.
Emma Bilton, Associate at Quod, said: “Quod is pleased to have supported Pickard’s team in achieving planning consent for the regeneration of a vacant brownfield site, which will help meet a clear need for rental properties in this part of the City through the provision of a broad mix of new homes.
“The existing buildings will be replaced with an architecturally striking building built to meet the highest environmental standards in a generous landscape setting, retaining the existing mature tree belt and enhancing the ecology on the site.”
