Leeds council-owned buildings to be sold to raise funds

Several city centre sites have been earmarked for sale by Leeds City Council

Dozens of buildings owned by Leeds City Council are to be sold off to raise more than £95m for the authority.

The Leonardo Building office block, Otley Civic Centre and Otley Lido are among landmarks which have been listed as "surplus" and to be sold by 2025.

The council has published a list of sites it is proposing to sell as well as those it sold in the past 12 months.

It said the funds raised would allow it to maintain certain services, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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Cardigan Road Library and the former Wortley High School have already been sold by the council, under its capital receipts programme.

The former Otley Lido site could be sold under the capital receipts programme

The authority said some places on the list were "key high value sites" appropriate for development.

These sites are at Lisbon Street - the site of the former International Swimming Pool, Red Hall, Southern Quadrant and Alwoodley Lane.

It is also planning to dispose of land on the Red Hall estate, close to the A58 Wetherby Road near Leeds Outer Ring Road.

The 28-hectare (69-acre) site includes the former horticultural nursery and depot facilities and playing fields.

The adjacent 17th Century Red Hall House, which is the headquarters of the Rugby Football League, is being sold by them separately.

The council expects money raised from property and land sales to reach £23.5m in 2019/20, £32.4m in 2020/21 and £40m in 2021/22.

The document is set to be discussed by Leeds City Council's Executive Board on 7 January.