A new housing development in Middleton is taking shape in time for its completion later this year.
Middleton Park Councillors Kim Groves, Judith Blake and Paul Truswell visited the new development off Thorpe Road near Middleton town centre.
The project will see 122 new houses and bungalows built by Sanctuary Group in conjunction with Leeds City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Part of the development is already completed and new tenants have moved in.
The development is part of a £12.9million programme to provide affordable housing to rent or purchase in Leeds. The project on Thorpe Road has led to the creation of new jobs with contractor Keepmoat, including four new apprenticeship posts.
Councillors Groves, Blake and Truswell had a tour around some of the completed properties and saw first-hand construction work on the rest of the site.
Other affordable housing projects are in the pipeline for South Leeds, including new housing on Old Acre Square in Middleton being built by Leeds Federated. Initial discussions are planned for a possible new housing development off of Newhall Gate in Belle Isle. These are in addition to the Unity Housing scheme in Holbeck and the PFI-funded housing in Beeston Hill and Holbeck.
The Council, Keepmoat, HCA and local Councillors have worked together to ensure that more affordable housing is available in the area and have committed to look at future opportunities for new projects.
Councillor Kim Groves (Labour, Middleton Park) said:
“Providing affordable homes in our community remains one of our key priorities, and we are delighted therefore that this project is nearing completion. It was great to visit some of the completed homes which boast modern energy efficiency measures which will make them cheaper to live in. I look forward to seeing the site completed in autumn and eagerly await talks on future developments in the area.”
Rob Harbourne (Sanctuary’s development manager) said:
“We are proud to be part of the regeneration taking place in Middleton. We have already completed 54 new homes and our tenants are delighted with them. A further 68 will be completed in phases between now and the end of the year and 18 of these fantastic new homes will be available for sale on a shared ownership basis. Each new home has been finished to a high standard and will undoubtedly enhance the lives of those moving into them and add to the real sense of community in Middleton.
“The wider community is also set to benefit from this and other developments, both through the creation of green spaces and the new jobs and training opportunities offered on site. This has included the employment of two bricklaying apprentices and two construction operatives taken on through our contractors, Keepmoat.”
Although I welcome new homes being built in the area I must object to the term “affordable”. The houses are around £27 per week more expensive than the equivalent council houses, which equates to over £100 per month extra that a tenant needs to earn just to make up the difference.
At almost £100pw for a two bedroom house, this is in the same price bracket as private rental! With people struggling to pay for child care and wages not rising by nearly as much as the cost of living, I feel more should be done to keep these rentals in line with local authority prices.
How do I go about getting one of these houses
I’ve looked on the Sanctuary website and it says:
“Please call 0800 131 3348 or 0300 123 3511 for details on applying for housing in your area.”