Building for a bright future as work starts on new council homes

Construction work has started on a scheme that provides further proof of the burgeoning success of Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP).

A total of 88 new homes are being built for Leeds City Council across a number of brownfield sites in Seacroft and the Ambertons area of Gipton.

In Seacroft, 25 one-bedroom apartments and eight two and three-bedroom houses are taking shape on land at the corner of Brooklands Avenue and Seacroft Crescent.

In Gipton, 55 properties – including two, three and four-bedroom houses and one-bedroom bungalows – are being built on Amberton Terrace, Amberton Crescent, Amberton Street and Montagu Avenue.

Work on the scheme is now in full swing following some preparatory activity late last year, with completion due before the end of 2025.

And, during a visit to two of the development sites, Councillor James Lewis, the leader of the council, and Councillor Jess Lennox, the council’s executive member for housing, were able to see for themselves the progress already being made.

All of the properties – which are being delivered by Wates Construction – will be made available as council housing at affordable rents.

The new homes are being built to energy efficient specifications, with the council’s net zero credentials being underlined by the planned fitting of air source heat pumps rather than gas boilers.

The properties will be level access and have been designed to facilitate the installation, where required, of mobility-friendly features such as through-floor lifts.

The council is meeting most of the cost of building the new homes, with additional support coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund.

Brownfield is a planning term for land which has been developed at some point in the past but is now unused and therefore offers scope for regeneration of the kind currently under way in Seacroft and Gipton.

The scheme highlights the council’s determination to provide affordable, good-quality homes for local people, with its CHGP having a key part to play in achieving that ambition.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “We want Leeds to be a national standard-bearer for regeneration and inclusive growth, with thriving communities that offer opportunities for all and a real sense of belonging.

“Delivering the kind of housing that people need is therefore a priority for us, so it’s fantastic news that construction has begun on these properties in Seacroft and Gipton.

“The involvement of both the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Wates also underlines the way in which partnership working can help us bring about positive changes that make our city an even better place to live.”

Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said: “The work now under way in Seacroft and Gipton is a fine example of the impressive results being achieved by our Council Housing Growth Programme.

“It was great to see how the scheme is taking shape and to have the opportunity to meet some of the teams who are out there on the ground transforming these sites.

“We know the difference that good quality, energy efficient and affordable homes make to people’s lives, and that’s why we want schemes like this one – and the other, equally-impressive projects we have completed in recent times – to be just the start of a city-wide housebuilding success story.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I’m delighted we’re able to help bring more high-quality council homes to east Leeds.

“Having a safe and secure place to call home should be a fundamental right of everyone, which is why we’re putting new housing at the heart of our mission to build a happy West Yorkshire.

“Together with partners like Leeds City Council, we’re committed to building the thousands of new homes our region needs to deliver a greener, more vibrant future for all.”

More than 300 new homes have been built through the CHGP since 2018, with the Gascoigne House extra care facility in Middleton and the redevelopment of a former tower block site at Meynell Approach in Holbeck among the major completed projects.

Around 270 homes have also been acquired as part of the programme, with these properties and the new-builds both contributing to the council’s efforts to ease local affordable housing pressures.

Furthermore, they have – by increasing the number of appropriate properties available to tenants looking to downsize – helped free up some homes that are best suited to larger families.

Recent figures for the period up to 2025 showed that, across Leeds, nearly 1,600 affordable homes were under construction or in the pre-construction or feasibility stages of development thanks to the CHGP as well as other council-backed schemes delivered by partners.

David Wingfield, Wates’ regional director for Yorkshire & North East – Construction, said: “We’ve been working with Leeds City Council since 2020 to help deliver its Council Housing Growth Programme ambitions, and have completed more than 200 brand-new homes for residents so far. It’s a privilege to work in partnership with them to build even more.

“This latest scheme has once again been carefully designed to suit the community’s requirements, prioritising energy efficiency, accessibility and affordability.

“Our approach to construction centres on supporting the entirety of Leeds in the long term – keeping spend local, creating new jobs and opportunities and investing into vital community initiatives.”