City's council house waiting list hits 26,000

About 26,000 people are on the waiting list for housing in Leeds, according to a council report.

The report said pressures on housing in the city were "significant" and highlighted a "shortfall of affordable and social rented homes".

It comes as plans were approved to build 21 council flats on a vacant plot of land in Kirkstall.

The flats will be built on the site of the former Beckett Park Community Centre and the Queenswood Day Care Centre, which were both demolished in 2023.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the development will consist of 15 one-bedroom and six two-bed apartments in a four-storey building off Queenswood Drive.

A planning officer's report said: "All dwellings are proposed as affordable, socially rented housing."

The report said all the flats would have open-plan kitchen and living areas.

It said: "Large windows and doors are proposed to provide natural light.

"Parking is proposed for 15 vehicles, including two disabled spaces. Electric vehicle charging points are proposed for all bays."

Two public objections were received, raising concerns over parking, road safety and the appearance of the building.

One objector was worried about "noise and disturbance associated with a higher intensity residential use".

Council highways officers raised no objection to the scheme, subject to conditions in the planning application.

The report said there was high demand for one and two-bedroom properties in the Kirkstall ward.

The Labour government made a pledge to build 1.5m new homes in England by 2029 before the 2024 General Election.

But BBC research found the number of homes being built, overall, across North, South and West Yorkshire fell in the government's first year in power.

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