Four cemetery chapels put up for auction

Four cemetery chapels in Leeds have been put up for auction for a combined price of about £350,000.

The buildings in Horsforth, Harehills, Armley and Otley are no longer needed by Leeds City Council, which said they were under-used and too costly to maintain.

The Horsforth and Harehills chapels went under the hammer last month with guide prices of £50,000 and £175,000. Their final sale price is yet to be revealed.

The chapels at Armley and Otley will be auctioned on 17 December and are expected to fetch more than £50,000 and £75,000 respectively.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a council report said sales of the four chapels would be on a 250-year leasehold basis.

It added: "It is proposed that the properties are now declared surplus to council requirements and sold on the open market by auction.

"A sale will generate capital receipts for the council and alleviate financial pressure due to continued maintenance and running costs."

Auction was deemed the best way of securing the highest possible sale price.

The council said: "This is the advantage over a sale by formal tender and could encourage improved bids being made.

"Contracts will be exchanged immediately on fall of the hammer and completion will be on an unconditional basis within a short and defined timescale."

According to auction websites, the chapels could be redeveloped and renovated with the necessary planning permission.

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