New council homes provide building block for thriving communities in Leeds

Dozens of new high-quality homes have been delivered for people in Leeds thanks to a pair of council housing schemes that are also making a hugely-positive difference to wider community life.

A total of 69 homes have been built and handed over to tenants at two Leeds City Council developments, one in Seacroft and the other in Holbeck.

But the schemes are not just benefiting the people living in the new properties – they have also had a significant social impact by channelling funding towards good causes and providing apprenticeship opportunities for the city’s workforce of the future.

And today the completed developments – both part of Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP) – were hailed as fine examples of how regeneration activity is about much more than simply bricks and mortar.

In Seacroft, the council’s Tarnside & Mardale scheme – which sits between York Road and Foundry Mill Street – comprises 41 houses.

In Holbeck, meanwhile, a total of 28 homes – 14 houses and 14 apartments – now stand on a former tower block site at Meynell Approach.

All the properties were built to energy efficient and eco-friendly specifications, with features including special heat loss minimising windows, water saving devices and, in some cases, solar panels.

The Seacroft development was delivered for the council by Wates, while work in Holbeck was handled by United Living New Homes.

Both companies have played their part in ensuring that the schemes have had an impact that reaches beyond the front doors of the new properties.

Wates’ charitable arm, the Wates Family Enterprise Trust, awarded funding to a number of local community groups for projects such as food pantries and residential weekend trips for children, as well as the purchasing of kits and equipment for junior sports teams.

Wates also linked up with schools in the Seacroft area to run site visits, work experience placements and apprenticeships.

The names of two new streets – Red Kite Court and Sunflower Close – within the development were chosen by Parklands Primary School, Seacroft Grange Primary School and the SCOT (Seacroft Community On Top) group.

Other benefits from the scheme include a substantial investment in new equipment, surfacing and seating at the Seacroft Gardens play area.

United Living New Homes’ community engagement efforts scored similarly impressive results while the Holbeck development took shape. Key achievements included:

• Safeguarding a total of 15 apprenticeships and creating four new jobs;
• Holding construction-themed learning days for students and staff at local colleges;
• Engaging the Leeds Wood Recycling social enterprise to collect waste wood from the building site.

The council’s CHGP provides additional social housing stock for Leeds, which in turn is seen as a way of driving inclusive growth and improving the population’s general health and wellbeing.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment and housing, said:

“We are determined to ensure Leeds is the best possible place to live – a city filled with thriving and inclusive communities where development and regeneration is shaped by the priorities of local people.

“By delivering quality homes which meet the current and future needs of our residents, the Council Housing Growth Programme has an important part to play in helping us achieve that aim. 

“These properties in Seacroft and Holbeck also offer a perfect snapshot of the high standards of design and construction that tenants can expect from Leeds’s new generation of energy efficient council housing.

“It’s really pleasing, too, to see the wider social benefits that have come with the schemes. From apprenticeships to support for community groups, they show how partnership working and an inclusive vision for growth can positively impact the lives of people young and old.”

Other schemes either completed or given the green light under the CHGP include Healey Croft at Tingley, Heights Lane in Armley and a general needs and extra care development off Middleton Park Avenue in Middleton.

ENDS