Plans for 1,000 new homes in Leeds given the go-ahead

Plans for nearly 1,000 homes to be built on council-owned land in east Leeds have been given the green light.

Eight brownfield sites around Seacroft, halton Moor and Osmondthorpe were given approval at the end of last week.

The plans for 971 homes to be built in phases over the next 10 years was given pproval as part of the council’s Brownfield Land Programme, working with development partners Keepmoat and Strata.

The new homes will be a mix of two, three and four-bed houses, and will include a proportion of affordable housing.

The council said that the building phase will see 170 jobs and 40 apprenticeships created.

Leeds City Council executive member for regeneration, transport and planning Councillor Richard Lewis said: “We are delighted to see these applications be approved today, as they are very important to continue the growing momentum of regeneration in east Leeds through housing growth and choice as well as offering potential local job and training opportunities.

“Bringing cleared sites back into use means that there is already infrastructure either ready or waiting or able to be reactivated with some support, whether this is health centre, schools, roads or bus services.

“Schemes like these demonstrate our commitment to a brownfield-field approach to delivering much-needed new housing in Leeds, and working with developers and communities like this we can achieve sustainable growth in a phased way, so we very much look forward to following the progress of these developments in the years to come.”

Ian Hoad, regional director for Keepmoat, said: “Today marks another milestone in a very unique and important project for Leeds; as we are now one step closer to building quality new homes and investing in key neighbourhoods. This regeneration masterplan is an exemplar of partnership working and we are particularly proud to be a part of it as it fits perfectly with our business model.

“98% of the homes we build are on brownfield land and the vast majority of purchasers are first-time buyers, so we very much look forward to delivering this project for the people of Leeds and making a real impact on the wider community.”

Nigel Robson, Strata Land Director, said: “We are delighted with the decision today which follows extensive positive engagement with the local community, ward members and the planning team at Leeds City Council.
“We are pleased with the progress of our ongoing development at Ambition on Asket Drive and we look forward to delivering further phases of development in Seacroft with the new schemes at Kentmere Approach, the former Asket Hill Primary School and Bishops Way.”

Sites for development include:
– Cartmell Drive, Halton Moor (45 properties)
– Rathmell Road and Kendal Drive, Halton Moor (109)
– Wykebeck Avenue and Wykebeck Mount, Osmondthorpe (102)
– York Road and South Parkway, Seacroft (33)
– Seacroft Crescent, Seacroft (49)
– Brooklands Avenue/Drive and Parkway Close, Seacroft (272)
The sites to be developed by Strata are:
– Former Asket Hill Primary School/Kentmere Approach (245 properties
– Bishops Way, Seacroft (116 properties)

This new housing follows on from other regeneration projects in the area such as the East and South East Leeds (EASEL) project which is nearing completion on around 600 new homes, including 83 new council properties.