EARLY plans to create 550 houses, a new road and a primary school near Otley are set to go before Leeds planning chiefs this week.

Leeds City Council officers claim a site to the east of Otley represents ‘a significant opportunity’ for the council to contribute to its own housing targets, and plans to submit a planning application for the site.

A document, set to go before the authority’s decision-making executive board, added more than a third of the houses would be ‘social or affordable rented’, while the site would require a construction of a new primary school and new relief road.

The authority claims the planned east of Otley relief road (EORR) would connect Leeds Road to Pool Road, and could help reduce traffic congestion in Otley Town Centre.

Otley recovering from floods

The document stated: “The site presents a significant opportunity to deliver a high quality mixed use and sustainable extension of Otley and in so doing make a major contribution to the delivery of the city’s Core Strategy objectives and the Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy.

“The development of the site requires a new East of Otley Relief Road (EORR) to service the development and for the wider benefit of relieving traffic congestion, improving the environment of Otley town centre and helping to grow the local economy as a whole. It will entail the delivery of the following development outcomes.”

The council now wants permission from its decision-makers to spend £2.245m, which would go towards work on the road, as well as the submission for a planning application.

Officers added five hectares of the site would be given over to employment land, while public green space and sports facilities would also be delivered.

The EORR has been the subject of talks since June 2019, when a government grant of £6.3m was won to contribute towards some of the design and delivery costs. Council officers claim plans have taken so long to come forward due to ‘challenging ground conditions’ on the site, including an historic land slip at Otley Chevin.

The document added: “The project is now at a position where in order to move forward with sufficient pace and diligence to meet time-scales related to the availability HIF grant, commitments are required from the Council to commission detailed technical and design work for the EORR and from all parties with interests in the site to enter into formal collaboration arrangements.

“There is a need for the council to take a key role in facilitating the development of the site, particularly through leading on the design, planning and delivery of the EORR project and managing the deployment of the HIF grant, but also seeking the correct specialist advice for the planning application to offer the appropriate guidance and support that will optimise the delivery of the essential infrastructure and accelerated housing development.”