An iconic clock tower at a former hospital, which was once the inspiration behind a Kaiser Chiefs song, could be converted into a residential property. The Grade II-listed High Royds site in Menston, on the Leeds-Bradford border, was a unit for mental health patients for 115 years through to its closure in 2003.
The song ‘Highroyds’, by the Kaiser Chiefs, reminisced about some of the band members’ teenage years growing up in Menston, though it was never released as a single. Most of the site has already been converted into homes over the last decade or so, and it’s now been re-christened Chevin Park.
But the clock tower standing above the rest of the old building has remained empty and undeveloped, according to a new planning application by developers Avant Homes. The application said the tower has suffered from break-ins, fly-tipping and vandalism in recent years as a result.
