Extra care housing scheme aims to lay foundations for independent living

Construction work is under way on an extra care housing scheme for older people in Leeds.

Leeds City Council’s Middlecross development in Armley will provide 65 apartments for affordable rent by people aged over 55 with care and support needs.

The homes – which are being built for the council by Morgan Sindall Construction – are intended to complement wider efforts to address a serious shortage of extra care housing in the city.

Part of Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP), the scheme is also designed to breathe new life into a two-acre brownfield site which has been vacant for several years.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has contributed £1.3m from its Brownfield Housing Fund towards the cost of the scheme.

A further £1.3m has been drawn from Leeds’s commuted sums funding stream, which supports affordable housing delivery using pooled financial contributions paid by developers as part of planning agreements.

The rest of the funding for the project – due for completion in 2027 – has come from the council’s housing service via Right to Buy receipts and borrowing.

The scheme’s three-storey apartment building will feature a restaurant, a hair salon and an open-plan lounge and coffee bar.

Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said: “It’s great news that construction work is now under way on this important scheme, which will help address the well-documented shortage of affordable extra care housing in Leeds.

“The Middlecross development highlights the impact of our Council Housing Growth Programme and, by extension, our commitment to ensuring that everyone in Leeds can enjoy the stability and security that comes with a safe, warm and good-quality home.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Because of devolution, we’ve been able to invest almost £90m to help unlock over 5,000 new homes, including dozens of affordable and sustainable homes in Armley.

“Working with Leeds City Council, we’re taking decisive action to tackle the housing crisis and deliver the warm, high-quality homes that local families need, with lower rents and energy bills.

“Everyone is entitled to a safe and secure roof over their head, so we will work with central government to get the whole of West Yorkshire building, with new freedoms and funding to deliver thousands more homes and create a greener, more vibrant region.”

Ben Hall, Yorkshire area director for Morgan Sindall, added: “We are proud to be playing our part in creating high-quality extra care housing, enabling older people to enjoy later life.

“We’re looking forward to delivering this much-needed new scheme, which was procured via the SCAPE Construction framework.

“It will bring significant benefits for the Armley community, both through the completed building and our contribution to the local economy during the build programme.”