Don Mort

Pudsey Masonic Hall is seeking planning permission to install air conditioning in its ground-floor dining room and first-floor meeting room. The hall, built in 1901 and used regularly for Masonic meetings, community groups, church services and private events, has become excessively hot during recent summers because of poor insulation and heat retained by the building. Leeds City Council is consulting on the application until August 31.

A long-derelict shop at 352 Tong Road in Farnley, Leeds, has been granted an alcohol premises licence and is expected to reopen as a family-run convenience store operated by Gurvinder Sagoo and his son. The shop will trade from 8am to 11pm daily, rather than the originally proposed 24-hour alcohol sales. Conditions include a Challenge 25 age-verification policy, CCTV and staff training. Sagoo also plans to create flats above the shop, which he bought to regenerate the site and provide a local service.

Leeds City Council has approved plans by Mitchells and Butlers Retail to create a 42-room Innkeeper’s Collection hotel above the Nation of Shopkeepers bar on Cookridge Street. The Grade II-listed building’s vacant upper floors, unused since 2022 despite marketing efforts, will be converted while the bar continues operating below. Planning officers and Leeds Civic Trust supported the scheme, citing demand for accessible hotel accommodation, the sustainable reuse of a landmark building, and potential construction and hospitality jobs.

Leeds City Council has approved plans by bar firm Residence to refurbish a vacant ground-floor unit in the Grade II-listed Wray’s Buildings near the Corn Exchange. The proposals include repainting the shopfront in British Racing Green, replacing awnings and installing air-conditioning units. Planning officers said the modest, sympathetic alterations would preserve the building’s historic character and the wider City Centre Conservation Area. The upper floors have already been approved for conversion into flats.

Leeds City Council has approved a change-of-use application that could convert part of the Grade II-listed Shine building, formerly Harehills Middle School, into a specialist school. The East Leeds Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre would use the site to expand provision for 14-to-19-year-olds with complex special educational needs and disabilities. Although highways officers raised concerns about traffic during drop-off and pick-up, managed transport arrangements and a car park management plan were judged sufficient.

Leeds City Council refused planning permission for BP Land Ltd’s proposal to convert a vacant historic coach house off Back Lane in Drighlington into two homes and build five bungalows. Planning officers said the proposed development would harm the setting of nearby heritage assets, including Grade I-listed Lumb Hall, Grade II-listed Lumb House and the Old Vicarage. The application had been reduced from an earlier 12-home plan, but the council’s West Plans Panel concluded that the design and layout did not comply with planning policies.

A planning application has been submitted to Leeds City Council to rebrand the Revolution bar on Call Lane as Bonnie Rogues Pub. Proposed changes to the Grade II-listed building include repainting the shopfront, replacing doors and installing fabric awnings, alongside a shift toward live music, food and party-focused hospitality. The consultation runs until 26 August. The redevelopment follows the closure of several Revolution venues and the administration of parent company The Revel Collective, which attributed its difficulties to higher energy and wage costs and more cautious consumer spending.

Leeds City Council and Termrim Construction have applied for permission to build 21 affordable flats on the former Home Lea House care home site in Rothwell. The proposal targets demand for one- and two-bedroom homes and would redevelop the brownfield site, but residents have raised concerns about parking, antisocial behaviour, childcare, school and GP capacity, drainage, and sewer infrastructure. The application is open for consultation until 20 August 2026.

Leeds City Council plans to auction the former Bentley Primary School site on Clipston Street in Meanwood after it has stood vacant since November 2018. The council says the property is surplus to requirements, incurs ongoing maintenance costs and could generate a capital receipt. Government protections preventing its sale without education secretary approval are due to expire in November 2026. Although no reserve price has yet been set and there is a risk the site may not sell, the council expects strong interest and hopes a new owner will refurbish or redevelop it for productive uses.

Micklefield House, a derelict listed villa in Rawdon dating from the 1840s, could be converted from former Leeds City Council offices into eight flats. The proposal includes repairs to the building’s leaking roof and aims to restore it with minimal changes. Listed-building consent is being consulted on until August 14, after the property was previously marketed with a closing auction bid of £464,000. Police recently uncovered a cannabis farm at the site.

Leeds City Council has approved plans to refurbish the outdoor seating area at the Miller & Carter steakhouse in Garforth. The scheme, submitted by hospitality firm Mitchells & Butlers, includes an electric vehicle charging point and a new roofing canopy. Planners concluded that the work would not harm surrounding green belt land, residential amenity or parking provision.

Leeds opposition councillors say parking charges at Otley Chevin have caused a dramatic fall in visitors, with car parks reportedly remaining empty during the school holidays. Parking costs up to £4.50 a day or £10 a month, and councillors Sandy Lay and Colin Campbell are calling for the fees to be removed. Leeds City Council is reviewing charges introduced in October 2025 at several district-centre car parks, but says the review does not cover Otley Chevin, where park charges were introduced separately in February 2025.

Amorino Italian Cafe and Kitchen in Cookridge, Leeds, was granted a premises licence allowing alcohol sales for consumption on the premises from 10am to 8pm. Residents submitted four objections, citing potential noise and traffic congestion on the busy residential road. Applicant Kaveh Kohan said the family-oriented cafe would operate safely, and Leeds City Council councillors approved the licence subject to conditions; the cafe’s daily opening hours will be 9am to 8:30pm.

Leeds City Council has allocated about £285,000 from the government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund to Burmantofts Community Projects. The funding will support the Burmantofts Money Buddies service, providing advice on benefits, debt, energy costs and household finances to around 1,800 people in east Leeds, particularly low-income households facing deprivation, unexpected costs, lost income or rising housing and energy bills.

The University of Leeds has submitted plans for an exotic botanic garden on its Woodhouse Lane campus as part of a long-term redevelopment programme. The proposal includes plant collections, a glasshouse, outdoor teaching spaces and walking routes. A design report emphasizes benefits for teaching, research and public access. The glasshouse is planned to be accessible and compatible with surrounding architecture. Leeds City Council is consulting on the planning application until early August.

Parents of teenagers with special educational needs urged Leeds City Council to reverse its decision to end free post-16 school transport, arguing the policy creates barriers and limits opportunities. The campaign group Save Our School Transport called for the previous policy to be reinstated pending a full review. The council said discretionary support and travel training are being offered, with officials emphasising the importance of promoting independent travel for young people with special needs.

Leeds City Council plans to review parking charges introduced last year in several town centre car parks, which are generating an estimated £337,000 annually. The review, beginning in August, will assess financial performance, usage and broader economic impacts. Findings will be presented to the council’s executive board in November as members consider any potential changes to the charging system.

A Grade II-listed group of buildings at 37–41 Kirkgate in Otley, including shops, offices and a former recording studio, has been listed for auction with a guide price starting at £650,000. The property, marketed by BTG Eddisons, is seen as suitable for multiple uses including possible residential conversion. Any redevelopment next to the Red Lion pub will require planning and listed building consent from Leeds City Council. The site sits within the Otley Conservation Area and includes occupied and vacant retail units along with additional office buildings.

A derelict former student residence at 12 Hall Lane in Chapeltown is proposed for conversion into nine apartments after its sale to a property developer. A planning report notes the building has been vacant and previously occupied by squatters who caused damage. The plans aim to redevelop the stone building and rear extension into one‑, two‑, and three‑bedroom flats, meeting modern standards and contributing needed housing within the Chapeltown Conservation Area. The application is open for consultation until July 21.

Plans seek approval to convert the fire-damaged ground floor and outbuildings of Swallow Hill Mills in Wortley into nine apartments, complementing an existing approval for 18 flats on the upper floors. The design report highlights the building’s deterioration from fire damage and vandalism and argues the redevelopment would secure its future while helping Leeds City Council meet housing delivery targets. Local services are said to support residential use, and nearby residents reportedly favour bringing the site back into use. A full planning application is open for consultation until July 22.

Photographs included in a planning application show severe deterioration at the abandoned Grade II–listed Moorfield House in Leeds, with water damage, rotting timber and structural decay accelerating since surveys in 2022 and 2025. A report by HG2 Architects warns that urgent repairs are required and stresses the need for a viable restoration plan. Developer Lacuna Property Development is seeking approval to convert the former 49‑bed care home into 27 flats after a previous scheme failed.

Leeds City Council will spend £577,756 annually to hire 11 additional food hygiene inspectors after the Food Standards Agency warned of a significant backlog in mandatory inspections. The expanded team aims to increase annual inspections from 2,700 to the required 4,500 and address risks to public health. The funding was approved in March, and an action plan is in place to clear the backlog within two years, with the council facing potential intervention if it fails to comply with statutory requirements.

Leeds City Council approved the transfer of the large casino premises licence for Victoria Gate Casino, enabling its sale to Merkur Casino Entertainment UK. The venue, one of the limited large casinos permitted nationally, will continue operating under updated licence terms, including a two‑year extension of its community‑funding commitment. The previous operator, VGC Leeds Ltd, had its licence reinstated after addressing money‑laundering concerns raised by the Gambling Commission. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June 2026.

Planning permission has been granted to convert the former Gipton Housing Office on Coldcotes Drive into a five‑bedroom family home for social housing. The building, previously used as a health centre and later as council offices until 2019, has been vacant and will now be refurbished across both floors without affecting local council or health services. Parking will remain available at the front of the property.

Newall Church Hall in Otley is set for auction with a guide price exceeding £595,000 after a successful planning appeal allowed six homes to be built on the historic site. Leeds City Council had rejected the development over concerns about green space loss and heritage impact, but a planning inspector overturned the decision, citing housing supply and design benefits. Auction firm BTG Eddisons will sell the property in a live-streamed event on July 29.