Affordable housing scheme breathes new life into former factory site

A new housing scheme in Leeds has been completed, delivering 50 affordable, high-quality homes at a former factory site.

Yorkshire Housing’s development – named St Andrews Grange – sits on land once occupied by the Tower Works factory, off Moorfield Road in Armley.

The scheme comprises 27 houses and 23 apartments for affordable or social rent, providing residents with safe, secure homes and long-term stability.

The project was delivered with contractors Termrim Construction, and with funding support from Leeds City Council and Homes England.

As well as providing much-needed affordable housing, the development has brought fresh life to a site that stood empty for years – creating a new community and strong foundations for people to thrive.

All 50 households moved in by the end of last year, and the final touches to the wider site are now complete.

Sian Webster, executive director of growth and assets at Yorkshire Housing, said:

“It’s been brilliant to see families settling in and really making these homes their own. Every home here is for affordable or social rent, which means people in this part of Leeds have more secure, long-term options at a time when demand is higher than ever.

“St Andrews Grange is exactly the kind of development we want to keep delivering as part of our plan to build 8,000 new homes over the next few years.

“Bringing an empty site back into use and creating a new community is something we’re really proud of, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support from Leeds City Council, Homes England and Termrim Construction.”

The development offers a mix of one to four bedroom homes, all built to modern, energy-efficient standards to help residents with the cost of living.

The council has committed £750,000 to the project from a funding stream which supports affordable housing delivery using pooled financial contributions paid by developers as part of planning agreements.

More than 3,000 affordable homes have been delivered in Leeds over the last five years, one of the highest totals for major cities outside London.

Senior councillors last week also approved a new 10-year strategy that will, it is hoped, see the city delivering 1,500 affordable homes each year by 2036.

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said:

“Good-quality affordable housing can have a hugely positive impact on people’s lives, health and well-being, and we’re determined to play our part in its delivery for communities across Leeds.

“I’m delighted, therefore, that the council was able to commit funding support to this scheme and its transformation of what was a vacant, derelict piece of land. It’s really pleasing, too, that all the initial tenancies have been offered to people on our housing register.

“It was great to visit St Andrews Grange and see the new homes that have been built there. It’s a very impressive development which shows, once again, the difference that partnership working can make to our city.”

Jason McGarvey, managing director at Termrim Construction, said:

“We’re extremely proud of the team for what has been achieved at St Andrews Grange. Delivering high-quality, affordable homes is always important, but it’s particularly rewarding to see a development fully occupied and already becoming part of the Armley community.

“Our thanks go to Yorkshire Housing and all partners involved for the collaborative approach that made this scheme such a success.”

St Andrews Grange forms part of Yorkshire Housing’s wider programme to deliver thousands of affordable homes across the region. The organisation aims to build 8,000 homes over the next few years and is already more than halfway towards that goal.

Notes to editors:

Yorkshire Housing is the largest housing association that operates solely in Yorkshire, owning and managing nearly 20,000 homes. It is also the largest developing housing association in the region, building around 500 new homes every year across a mixture of tenures, including social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership.

The term ‘affordable housing’ refers to homes that are available for rent at below market value or low-cost ownership. When affordable housing is made available for rent, potential tenures include ‘affordable’ and ‘social’. Affordable rent is discounted by at least 20 per cent from the prevailing local market rate. Social rent is lower than affordable rent and set by a formula tied to local incomes, property size and property value.

ENDS