Plans for 300 homes on former Burton factory site

Plans have been submitted to build 302 homes on the former Burton factory site in Leeds.

Developer Avant Homes wants to transform the 49-acre plot, on Hudson Road in Burmantofts, as part of a £100m regeneration scheme.

Called Montague Place, the area would be named after Sir Montague Burton who founded the factory, which once produced more than 30,000 suits per week.

Councillor for the Burmantofts and Richmond Hill ward Luke Farley said: "For many people, that site holds a lot of special memories and a lot of history, so making sure that that connection to the past is maintained is really important."

Plans for the development off Torre Road include a mix of three and four-storey blocks with either one or two-bedroom apartments.

There will also be semi-detached and terraced energy efficient homes ranging from one to four bedrooms, either as affordable housing or homes for private rent.

Public green space has been pitched for where the site's original bowling green and gardens were and the existing woodland will be maintained, said the developers.

Part of the land has been earmarked for commercial and employment plots, potentially creating jobs for local residents.

Avant Homes have created a heritage strategy for the site, which includes preserving features like the art deco motifs and the Burton signage panels.

Farley's grandmother worked at the factory as a seamstress in the 1950s.

He said: "For lots of people living across the city, they'll have relatives who worked there. I'm sure there are people still around who worked there."

"Hopefully the developer will do a really good job maintain that connection to the past and we can see how we can see how the progress is made on the Burton's site."

Timothy Pegg, from Avant Homes, said the plans aimed to "transform and regenerate a fascinating place of historic and social importance to Leeds".

Burton was founded by Montague Burton, a Lithuanian immigrant who came to the UK at the age of 15.

The company began producing suits in 1922 and also made a quarter of the British military uniforms during World War Two

The factory was once the largest employer in Leeds, employing around 10,500 people

Burton was known to treat his staff well, at the time having the largest canteen in the world, catering for 8,000 workers in one sitting.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.