New homes plan in Leeds seeks to meet government's housing needs

The JV team of Barratt and David Wilson Homes and the Scholes Development Company is seeking to assist with the Government�s much publicised push for new housing delivery by bringing new homes to the Outer North East area of Leeds, where Leeds City Council has a housing target of 5000 new homes by 2028.

The proposed site, to the immediate east of Scholes between Rakehill Road to the North, Main Street to the South and Belle Vue Avenue to the East, has previously been identified in the Leeds UDP as a potential development site. It spans circa 50 acres, sits outside of the Green Belt and is largely surrounded by residential development and recreation facilities.

Initial proposals for 700 sustainable family homes have been reworked and were submitted last week as part of Leeds City Council�s Site Allocations Plan process.

The revised proposals, whilst greatly reducing housing numbers, still offer the same substantial community benefits as the larger scheme including a gift of land to the Parish Council and financial assistance to enable the local primary school to expand, improved public transport facilities, a new GP surgery, road improvements and a new 5 acre public green park adjoining the cricket ground.

Peter Gilman, Chairman of GMI Property who form part of the Scholes Development Company, said; �As we saw in the recent Autumn Statement, there is a real drive from Government to address the housing shortage problem. Our strategic site at East Scholes is not in Green belt and has previously been identified by the Planning Inspectorate as being suitable for development.

�With the local housing shortage running into thousands, we have a site which is available and deliverable and a partner in Barratt and David Wilson that wants to start building homes to satisfy local housing needs�.