Leeds: 1960s high-rise flats demolition plans 'on hold'

Brooklands and Bailey Towers in Seacroft are among the six block of flats councillors decided to knock down as they "exceeded their original design life"

Plans to demolish six high-rise blocks of flats built in the 1960s and rehouse the residents have been put on hold.

Last month Leeds City Council approved the demolition of the towers in Armley, Seacroft and Moortown because they could not afford to revamp them.

But councillors have since called for "all possible options" to be explored before pressing ahead with the scheme.

The six blocks house 360 residents in total and they are broadly in favour of the plans, the authority has said.

It had said the flats in Bailey Towers, Brookland Towers and Ramshead Heights in Seacroft; Leafield Towers in Moortown, and Raynville Court and Raynville Grange in Armley remained "safe" but "exceeded their original design life".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Conservative councillor Barry Anderson was among a number of other councillors who called the decision in for scrutiny and questioned the authority's plan for rehoming residents.

The administration said "evacuated residents" would be given priority on the council's housing waiting list but it was likely to take "a couple of years" to rehouse those affected before the tower blocks could be knocked down.

'Waiting several months'

However, Mr Anderson said the waiting list was "already oversubscribed".

"Residents throughout the city are waiting a disproportionately long time," he said.

"I'm not disagreeing with [residents from these blocks] getting priority.

"But that means local residents who might have had it will be further down the list and they could be waiting several months more before they find a house that's appropriate for them."

The council intends to rebuild new modern homes on the land - an option, which it said, was cheaper than refurbishment.

The decision is due to be discussed further at a council meeting on Monday.