Leeds Council Plans 21 Affordable Flats, Rothwell 2026

Key Points

• Leeds City Council has submitted a planning application for 21 affordable apartments at the former Home Lea House care home site on Wood Lane, Rothwell.
• The proposed two-storey development would provide a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats.
• The homes would be offered for rent to people on Leeds City Council’s housing register if planning permission is granted.
• The council says Rothwell has a shortage of affordable housing, with the greatest demand for one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes.
• The site has been vacant since Home Lea House was demolished in 2023.
• The proposal has been prepared with Termrim Construction.
• Plans include car parking spaces with electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage, trees, shrubs and private amenity space for residents.
• The development would use low-carbon design measures, including high-specification insulation, double glazing and sustainable heating and energy systems.
• Public consultation took place before the planning application was submitted, including information packs sent to 175 nearby properties and two engagement events.
• The planning application is open for consultation until August 20, 2026.
• If approved, the scheme would be delivered through Leeds City Council’s Council Housing Growth Programme.

Rothwell (The Leeds Times) August 7, 2026 — Leeds City Council on August 7, 2026, submitted plans for 21 affordable apartments on the former Home Lea House care home site at Wood Lane, with the proposed homes intended for people on the council’s housing register. The two-storey scheme would include one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats and is being brought forward with Termrim Construction.thetelegraphandargus+1

The application concerns a vacant brownfield site in a residential part of Rothwell. Home Lea House was demolished in 2023, and the council is now seeking permission to replace the former care home with a purpose-designed apartment building.

According to the design information reported by The Telegraph & Argus, the development is intended to respond to local demand for affordable housing. The report said the greatest need in Rothwell was for one-bedroom and two-bedroom properties, which the proposed apartment scheme would provide.

Leeds City Council said the apartments would be rented by people registered on the council’s housing register. The plans form part of the authority’s wider Council Housing Growth Programme, through which the council has built or acquired hundreds of homes in recent years.

Why has the council proposed housing at Wood Lane?

The council has identified a shortage of affordable housing in Rothwell, particularly among smaller homes. The proposed development has therefore been designed around one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments rather than larger family houses.

A design report accompanying the proposal said an apartment building would be a suitable way to meet local demand on the site. It also described the scheme as a sustainable development that would bring a brownfield site back into use and provide what it called much-needed affordable housing. The Telegraph & Argus reported those points from the planning documents.

The site is surrounded by residential properties and is close to local shops and services. The council said the scale and appearance of the proposed building had been considered carefully so that it would fit with neighbouring homes.

The proposal would also make use of land that has remained vacant since the former care home was demolished. Rather than leaving the plot unused, the council and its development partner are seeking to establish a new residential use that would be managed within the city’s affordable housing programme.

Planning permission has not yet been granted. The application must go through the normal planning process, during which residents and other interested parties can inspect the proposal and submit comments.

What would the proposed apartments include?

The scheme would contain 21 apartments in a two-storey building. The homes would be a mixture of one-bedroom and two-bedroom properties, reflecting the types of accommodation the council says are in greatest demand locally.

The council said the internal layouts would be designed to use available floor space efficiently. The layouts would also allow scope for adaptation to meet tenants’ changing requirements, although the published information does not specify what particular adaptations would be provided or how individual homes would be allocated.

The apartments would be intended for rent by people on Leeds City Council’s housing register. The proposal is therefore different from a private housing development in which properties are marketed for sale or let at prevailing market rates.

The plans include external facilities for residents and visitors. These would include car parking spaces, with provision for electric vehicle charging, as well as dedicated cycle storage.

Landscaping would form another part of the proposal. The council’s plans include planting new trees and shrubs and creating a private amenity area for residents. These measures are intended to improve the appearance of the site and provide outdoor space alongside the new apartments.

The scheme would also be designed around lower energy use. Leeds City Council said the proposed homes would benefit from high-specification insulation, double glazing and sustainable heating and energy measures. The authority described this as part of a low-carbon design and construction strategy.

What has the council said about the scheme?

Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said the proposal could help address the need for affordable housing in Rothwell while bringing a vacant site back into use.

“We are immensely proud of our Council Housing Growth Programme and the way it is changing lives and communities for the better,”

Councillor Carlill said in a statement issued by Leeds City Council.

He said there remained a pressing need for more high-quality affordable homes in several parts of Leeds, including Rothwell. Councillor Carlill added that, if approved, the Wood Lane scheme could help meet that need and “breathe new life” into land that was currently vacant.

The councillor also thanked those involved in developing the proposals and reaching the planning application stage.

The council’s comments describe the scheme as part of a broader programme rather than an isolated project. The authority is also pursuing other developments on former or cleared sites in Leeds.

Leeds City Council said a planning application had recently been submitted for a separate Council Housing Growth Programme scheme at the former Kingsdale Court flats site in the Boggart Hill area of Seacroft. That proposal involves 79 affordable homes following the demolition of the former flats.

Other programme developments currently under construction include the Middlecross scheme in Armley, which is expected to provide 65 apartments for affordable rent for people aged over 55 who have care and support needs. A separate development at the former Hough Side High School site near Pudsey is expected to provide 82 homes for affordable rent.

The council also said recently completed schemes at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft and in the Ambertons area of Gipton had delivered a combined total of 88 homes for affordable rent.

How has the public been consulted?

Leeds City Council carried out public engagement before submitting the Wood Lane application. Information packs were sent to 175 properties in the local area, while two face-to-face engagement events were held at Haigh Road Community Centre.

The consultation gave local residents an opportunity to view information about the proposed building and provide feedback before the application was formally submitted.

The planning application is now available for formal consultation, with comments being accepted until August 20, 2026. The consultation stage allows members of the public to raise matters such as the building’s design, its relationship with neighbouring properties, traffic, parking, access, landscaping and the use of the site.

Any comments submitted as part of the process will be considered alongside the planning documents and other relevant material. The final decision will be made through Leeds City Council’s planning process.

The available information does not indicate that a decision has been made on the application, nor does it confirm when construction would begin if permission is granted. The number of homes, their tenure and the proposed layout remain subject to the outcome of planning consideration.

What happens if planning permission is granted?

If approved, the project would be delivered through Leeds City Council’s Council Housing Growth Programme. The council has said the scheme would provide homes for people on its housing register, but the available announcement does not set out the precise allocation criteria for individual apartments.

The development would then need to move through the detailed delivery process. That could include finalising the design, agreeing construction arrangements and confirming the timetable, but no construction date has been announced in the information available.

The proposal would turn a former care home site into a small residential development. Its location within an established neighbourhood means that the council has sought to keep the building’s height and appearance in keeping with nearby properties.

The scheme would also add 21 homes to Rothwell’s affordable housing supply without requiring the development of a new site outside the existing built-up area. Its use of a vacant brownfield plot is a central part of the council’s justification for the application.

However, the proposal remains at the planning stage. The outcome will depend on the assessment of the application, public representations and any conditions imposed if permission is granted.

What is the background to the development?

Home Lea House was a former care home on Wood Lane in Rothwell. The building was demolished in 2023, leaving the council-owned site vacant. The current proposal seeks to establish a new long-term use for the land through the construction of 21 affordable apartments.thetelegraphandargus+1

The site’s redevelopment follows an earlier decision by the council and its development partner that new housing would be the most appropriate use of the plot. The design report said Rothwell had a shortage of affordable housing and that demand was particularly strong for one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes.

The application has been prepared by Leeds City Council and Termrim Construction. The proposed homes would be part of the city’s Council Housing Growth Programme, which is intended to increase the supply of council and affordable housing in Leeds.

The development would combine housing provision with measures covering energy efficiency, parking, cycling and landscaping. The council has said the site has good access to shops and services and that the building has been designed to reflect the residential character of the surrounding area.

The formal consultation remains open until August 20, 2026. A planning decision has not yet been announced.

How could the proposal affect Rothwell residents?

If approved and completed, the development would provide 21 additional affordable rental homes for people on Leeds City Council’s housing register. Its immediate effect would be to increase the supply of smaller properties in Rothwell, where the council says one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes are in greatest demand.

Existing residents would also be affected by the redevelopment of a vacant site. The final impact would depend on the approved design, construction arrangements, traffic and parking conditions, and the way landscaping and resident facilities are delivered.

The proposal could give eligible households another option within Rothwell, but it would not remove the wider shortage of affordable housing identified by the council. The number of homes available through the scheme would remain limited to 21 apartments, and the application has not yet received planning permission.