Derelict former children’s home near Wetherby to become 45 new homes after planning approval

Plans to turn the Bramham House site near Wetherby into 45 homes have been approved by Leeds City Council.

The building on Freely Lane will be demolished to make way for 20 houses and 25 apartments.

The council’s east plans panel was told the building’s historic façade would be re-built as part of the project by Bramham House Ltd.

Conservative councillors Alan Lamb and Norma Harrington supported the planning application despite concerns raised by people living nearby.

They said in a statement: “In our view, securing a viable redevelopment of this long-empty site is preferable to seeing it remain unused indefinitely.”

The panel heard that the condition of the building, which was boarded up and had no roof, was attracting anti-social behaviour.

Under council policy, some 16 of the new homes should be classed as affordable, but that was not deemed financially viable.

In a statement the developer said the project had “zero margin” for lower cost homes.

They said: “That is the reality of unlocking a complex brownfield site that has been a derelict eyesore for 30 years.

“If this was an easy, highly profitable project it would have been developed decades ago.”

Council planning officers said the need for affordable homes in the area had been raised by parish and ward councillors.

Their report said: “The failure to provide affordable housing in any form, neither on-site nor via developer contributions, represents a significant policy conflict in the planning balance.”

But the developer’s financial case had been independently verified by the city’s district valuer.

Officers recommended the scheme for approval, saying it was considered acceptable under other housing policies.

The report said: “The proposal would provide homes within an existing settlement, integrating into the village of Bramham and its associated amenities.”