Key Points
- Leeds City Council has backed an expanded housing scheme on Kirkstall Road that could deliver up to about 1,800 homes on a former industrial site.
- Revised plans add 233 extra apartments, bringing the total to around 1,853 homes with building heights rising to a maximum of 28 storeys.
- Around 40 per cent of the homes are proposed as affordable, significantly above local policy requirements, with support expected from government agency Homes England.
Leeds (The Leeds Times) January 10, 2026 – An expanded housing scheme along Kirkstall Road in Leeds has been given approval in principle to grow to nearly 1,900 homes, after councillors backed revised plans featuring taller buildings, an extra 233 apartments and a commitment to deliver about 40 per cent of the properties as affordable housing.
The development, led by social housing provider Clarion and its development arm Latimer, is planned on the site of a former Yorkshire Chemicals works and other brownfield land off Kirkstall Road, with the long-term programme expected to bring forward in the region of 1,800 to 1,853 homes, including a 28-storey residential block and a mix of affordable and build-to-rent properties.
What has been approved for the expanded Kirkstall Road housing scheme?
According to reporting by West Leeds Dispatch, Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel has granted consent in principle for an additional 233 apartments as part of an already approved housing scheme on the former Yorkshire Chemicals site, taking the total number of homes in the project to up to 1,853. The revised scheme increases the height and density of the development, with apartment blocks now ranging from nine to 28 storeys, compared with eight to 15 storeys in the previous consented plans. The expansion is designed to make fuller use of the brownfield site and align with the council’s wider strategy to concentrate new housing in well-connected urban locations along key corridors such as Kirkstall Road.
As reported by Don Mort of West Leeds Dispatch, the City Plans Panel agreed the changes in principle, with detailed proposals for the additional apartments to be brought back to councillors for further consideration at a later stage.
How many homes and affordable units will the Kirkstall Road project deliver?
Reporting by West Leeds Dispatch states that, under the revised plans, the overall Kirkstall Road scheme is now expected to deliver up to 1,853 homes, of which around 743 would be classed as affordable. This equates to roughly 40 per cent of the total, significantly above the seven per cent affordable housing requirement normally applied under Leeds City Council’s planning policy for developments in this part of the city. Separate coverage by Place Yorkshire on the Dyecoats element of the Kirkstall Road corridor notes that Latimer is aiming for approximately 40 per cent affordable housing within a £100 million project scheduled to deliver around 1,800 homes by 2032, indicating a consistent tenure mix ambition across the wider scheme.
According to West Leeds Dispatch, the affordable properties are intended to be constructed by Latimer Developments Ltd and then handed over to Clarion for long-term ownership and management. Clarion, as a registered provider of social housing, would be responsible for letting and maintaining the social rented homes, with the package of tenures expected to include social rent and other affordable options. A report to councillors cited by the outlet explains that the higher proportion of affordable housing is expected to rely on grant funding from Homes England, the national housing and regeneration agency, which would help underwrite the cost of delivering below-market rent units at the scale proposed.
How will the development be funded and delivered over time?
According to West Leeds Dispatch, council papers indicated that the expanded housing scheme could use government funding, specifically potential grants from Homes England, to support the delivery of the affordable elements. This public funding would sit alongside private investment committed by Clarion and Latimer for the wider build-to-rent and market housing components. Place Yorkshire has reported that the Dyecoats phase of the Kirkstall Road corridor represents a £100 million investment on a 13-acre site, with phase one already under way and the full build-out targeted for completion by around 2032, suggesting that the overall regeneration programme is staged over several years, with multiple phases unlocking different parts of the brownfield land.
What is the wider context for regeneration along Kirkstall Road?
The Kirkstall Road corridor has emerged as a major focus for residential-led regeneration in Leeds, with several large schemes either approved or in progress. According to Place Yorkshire, the Dyecoats scheme led by Latimer sits within this context, aiming to deliver around 1,800 homes by 2032 on a substantial riverside and roadside site. Separately, business publication Insider Media has reported on a £152 million forward-funding deal for a different project on Kirkstall Road, which will deliver 618 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across five buildings on a riverside site, underlining the scale of investor interest in the area. Construction firm Bowmer + Kirkland also describes its Kirkstall Road project, being delivered for developer Glenbrook, as providing more than 600 new homes and playing “a vital role” in the regeneration of this stretch of the city.
According to material published for consultation on the New Foundry Square proposals, another brownfield site between the Leeds–Liverpool Canal and Kirkstall Road is earmarked for redevelopment, reinforcing the picture of a corridor where former industrial and commercial land is being comprehensively re-used for housing and mixed-use schemes. Planning documents for Dyecoats, available via a planning statement, emphasise that the overarching aim is to expand city-centre living opportunities while prioritising walkable, sustainable and well-connected communities, with the River Aire, active travel routes and public transport forming key elements of the emerging neighbourhoods.
How does the scheme fit with Leeds’ housing and sustainability goals?
Planning material cited in the Dyecoats planning statement notes that Leeds faces significant pressure to meet housing demand and is therefore promoting high-density, sustainable development close to the city centre and key transport links. The expanded Kirkstall Road scheme, with its increased building heights and concentration of homes on brownfield land, is presented as a way to accommodate growth without further encroaching on greenfield sites. The emphasis on 40 per cent affordable housing at the Clarion and Latimer-led scheme also aligns with the council’s objective of securing more affordable homes in viable locations, even though local policy in this specific area sets a lower baseline requirement. By clustering homes near existing road, bus and active travel corridors along Kirkstall Road and the River Aire, the projects aim to encourage car-free or low-car lifestyles, in line with the city’s climate and transport strategies.
What happens next for the expanded Kirkstall Road housing plan?
According to West Leeds Dispatch, while the City Plans Panel has given consent in principle for the additional 233 apartments and associated changes to height and massing, more detailed “reserved matters” applications will return to councillors for approval as the project progresses. These further submissions are expected to set out precise designs, layouts and landscaping details for the new blocks. In parallel, Clarion and Latimer will continue construction work on the initial phase of the scheme already under way on the former Yorkshire Chemicals site, while working to secure Homes England funding to underpin the expanded affordable housing offer. Other Kirkstall Road projects, such as the Glenbrook and forward-funded riverside schemes, will also move through their respective build programmes, helping to transform the corridor over the rest of the decade.
If the full suite of Kirkstall Road developments is delivered as currently envisaged, this stretch of Leeds is set to see several thousand new homes, including hundreds of affordable units, alongside new public spaces and improved connections to the city centre. The expanded Clarion and Latimer plan, with its 28-storey landmark building and 40 per cent affordable housing ambition, is positioned as one of the flagship elements of that wider transformation.
