Construction firm delivers £750,000 Housing Association refurb
A FORMER Victorian family home in North Yorkshire now houses nine apartments for affordable rent after a £750,000 refurb by Ilkley-based Dobson Construction.
The Sutcliffe buildings in Settle were officially reopened by Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association (LYHA) following a six-month refurbishment project, designed by Leeds-based architects Woodhall Planning and Conservation.
The homes were unveiled by Lisa Pickard, chief executive of LYHA and Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Craven District Council.
The refurbishment has breathed new life into the Grade II Listed Sutcliffe Buildings, owned by LYHA since 1952. Previously known as Sutcliffe House, it was built in the 1840s as a home for the Parker family.
Ms Pickard said: “The easy option would have been to sell Sutcliffe Buildings. It no longer provided homes that we were proud of and was expensive to maintain. However, at LYHA we believe in investing in and adding value to existing communities.
“We know what impact the loss of housing and historical buildings has in rural places like Settle. We know that local people depend on having access to affordable housing to enable them to stay living and working in the area. We therefore made the bold decision to invest more than we had originally planned knowing that the financial and social return in the long term would be worth it. We had a clear vision for this building; a building that many people thought couldn’t be restored.”
She added: “We have achieved this vision by working with a fantastic range of partners who have enabled us to preserve the history and legacy of this historic family home. In doing so we have also increased the number of affordable and social homes available, supported Craven District Council with their housing strategy and created homes that are beautiful; fit-for-purpose now and into the future.”
James Rushton, director of Dobson Construction, said: “This major refurbishment project has seen Sutcliffe Buildings fully transformed both inside and out thanks to investment by Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association. The appearance of the building has been greatly enhanced by the exterior works undertaken to the benefit of the surrounding area. Sutcliffe Buildings is now well-equipped to provide Settle with much-needed homes for years to come.”
The project was part-funded with a grant of £112,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency and a £60,000 ‘empty homes’ funding grant from Craven District Council.
