Green light to build more than 800 homes across three sites

Proposals to invest more than £10m to unlock over 800 new homes in the South Bank of Leeds have been approved by members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The proposals, brought forward by the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, will see 864 new homes built across three different sites as part of efforts to “turbocharge” regeneration.

In a bid to open up Leeds City Centre to hundreds more people, tenants will benefit from low carbon features that cut energy bills.

The funding, secured by the Mayor, forms part of a wider £89m Brownfield Housing Fund devolved to the region from the Government.

Brabin said: “Growing up in a two-bed council flat, I learnt the important of having a safe and secure place to call home from a young age.

“We want everyone in West Yorkshire to have that same opportunity, and regenerating Leeds’ South Bank will help achieve that.

“Today’s approval of hundreds of new homes is an exciting milestone in our important work to create a more vibrant region that works for all.”

The Mayor added that she has also written to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, urging him to provide more local flexibility to develop brownfield land across the whole of West Yorkshire.

She explained that currently, a Government rule allows housing projects to proceed only where the land values are relatively high, as each new project must show financial benefits that outweigh the costs.

Brabin said this makes it difficult for regional leaders to back housing projects in areas where the land values are relatively low – and where regeneration is especially needed.

A change to this rule, proposed by the Mayor, would look at the overall financial benefit of multiple sites instead of each site on its own, in an effort to open up more housebuilding across West Yorkshire.