Highways Towers Killingbeck: Leeds tower blocks set for demolition following six-month delay

Highways Towers, in Killingbeck, is set to be mothballed after investigations found the two 10-storey blocks, which were put up in the 1960s, had reached the end of their lifespan. Leeds City Council, which let out the 120 flats at the site, decided to rehouse all residents at Highways Towers in 2019 and have the buildings demolished, because refurbishing them would have been too costly and “intrusive”.

A maisonette building standing on the York Road site, which includes a further social housing 12 apartments is also set to come down. A new modern development with around twice the number of council properties is likely to be built on the site.

The demolition had originally been pencilled in for December 2022, but a planning application seeking permission for the job was only submitted after the new year. A notice submitted by the council seeking permission for the job, indicated the demolition will now take place on June 4 this year, if approval is given.

Last summer the dire state of the towers from within was revealed on social media by an urban explorer known as ‘Chaotic Footsteps’. They said the flats had been “trashed” and “left to decay” and released pictures showing damage to walls, bathroom units and light fittings.

The explorer said: “More contents of remains keep finding themselves in car parks and thrown onto the busy A64 road.” Pictures taken by Google Maps in November 2022 have shown how the blocks are riddled with broken windows, graffiti and vandalism, with all residents having been evacuated the previous year.