THE SITE of former sheltered flats in Bramhope looks set to be sold for old people's housing.

Rosemont flats, on Breary Lane, have proved a contentious issue since they were mistakenly earmarked for closure in 2014.

But now the proposal to sell the site for older people's housing is being welcomed by a local councillor who is stressing the importance of providing accommodation for elderly people in the village.

Adel and Wharfedale councillor Barry Anderson spoke about the issue after being asked for his views as part of a formal consultation being conducted by Leeds City Council.

He said: "I welcome the proposal for older people’s housing and it would be even better if they were able to prioritise it for local residents, but that has still to be discussed and agreed. By providing older people’s housing this meets the needs of both Bramhope and the north west of the city.

"Through developing older people’s housing it means that local residents can downsize and continue to live in the community they love and at the same time releasing larger family housing to meet those needs. It also means there is hopefully less pressure on the green belt sites that the council are putting forward for development purposes, for example part of the proposed Miller Homes planning application for Bramhope is on green belt."

He added: "Finally, it is good to note that the council have listened to the views of local residents and local Ward members in coming to this conclusion. I look forward to the site being sold as quickly as possible, the development being built out as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to local residents and the quality of life for those residents in the area that will diminish in the short term, being back to normal as quickly as possible."

Elderly people living in Rosemont were left shocked and distressed in 2014 when Leeds City Council sent them a letter saying their accommodation was to be shut down.

The council later issued an unreserved apology insisting the letter had been sent out in error and no decision had been made.

The local authority issued options for the future of the flats in April last year after an architect’s independent report and elderly elderly residents were rehoused while redevelopment plans were finalised.

Options being considered included converting the entire building or replacing it altogether. The council said the flats had "significant limitations and challenges" including shared bathrooms.