Approval for development on former tank factory

Plans for the construction of almost 450 homes on the site of a former tank factory in Leeds have been given the green light.

Vickers Defence Systems manufactured both Challenger 1 and Challenger 2 tanks on the site until the 1990s and prior to that it was used to produce munitions and heavy armoured vehicles including the Centurion and Chieftain.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments acquired the site in 2001 and secured a number of lettings, with tenants including Royal Mail, ITV, a car retailer, and West Yorkshire Police, which used it as a firearms and dog training centre.

Following the acquisition of the site in 2018, WYG Planning & Environment, on behalf of Strata Homes, Redrow Homes and Zurich Assurance, submitted an application to Leeds City Council for development at the 45-acre site at Crossgates, known as Radial Park.

Strata is set to retain the eastern portion of the site with Redrow developing the western portion.

The construction of 437 homes, with a mix of house types, heights and number of bedrooms, was approved by the council’s City Plans Panel yesterday (12 March 2020).

The application was approved, subject to conditions, in line with a planning officer’s recommendation.

A decision on the application had previously been deferred at a meeting In January to allow for further discussions over the design of some of the houses, increasing the provision of photovoltaic cells, accessible housing, highway issues and the incorporation of additional elements linking the development to its former use. The scheme was subsequently revised to address these areas.