Contractor Wates Construction has been appointed by Leeds City Council to deliver a £40m affordable housing scheme in Middleton, Leeds, as part of the Council House Growth Programme (CHGP).
The scheme will see the regeneration of a six-acre site off Middleton Park Avenue, including the current Throstle Recreation Ground, to create an affordable housing scheme which can cater to a variety of different needs. Some five acres of the site will be kept as green space for the community to enjoy, to include natural play areas, space for dog walking, landscaping and sustainable drainage features to promote biodiversity.
Wates Construction will deliver all design and build services for the ‘Throstle Rec’ scheme over three phases, from enabling works to final handover, utilising its offsite facility, Prism, to manufacture a central energy centre and all homes’ utility cupboards to increase efficiency.
As part of this, social value is prioritised wherever possible with 75% of project spend to be allocated within 40 miles of Leeds, 85% of spend to be with SMEs, along with numerous education and training initiatives implemented to support local skills.
The company will work closely with the client and supply chain throughout, including Watson Batty Architects, M&E firm Desco, and technical advisor Perfect Circle. Construction started on site in July, with final completion planned for mid-summer 2023.
David Wingfield, Regional Director North East, Wates Construction, said: “We have an excellent relationship with Leeds City Council and look forward to working with them. We fully recognise how important housing growth schemes like this are to the council’s future ambitions and we’re proud to play our part in the delivery of this affordable housing project, which will not only benefit the local economy and provide new green spaces for the community, but by accessing a network of local SME’s, this scheme will have a lasting impact on the local economy from the very outset.
“Wates Construction has a long history of working on vital housing projects in Yorkshire — we’re currently delivering similar schemes for City of York Council and have recently completed developments further south in Doncaster and Rotherham. This experience of delivering such builds, often in residential areas and with phased handovers, was key to our appointment.”
The Throstle Rec scheme is one of the first major new council housing developments in 30 years and will play a major role in Leeds City Council’s House Growth Programme, which aims to deliver 1,500 new council homes over the next five years. This is vital to meet the increasing pressures on housing stock in the city, with every affordable property advertised receiving an average of 170 bids.
Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, Leeds City Council, said: “I am thrilled to see that work has now started on site to create one of the council’s largest affordable housing projects. Not only will it contribute positively towards our ambition of building more affordable housing in the city, but the new energy-efficient homes and electric vehicle charging points will also help in our efforts against the climate emergency. We know green space is important, especially in this area, and that is why a clear focus of this development is to invest in high-quality green space for people of all ages to benefit from and we will continue to work with residents in the surrounding areas to minimise disruption as much as possible. I look forward to seeing this exciting project develop over the coming months.”
