WYCA pumps £10m into South Bank resi

Close to 900 homes across three Leeds sites will benefit from the Brownfield Housing Fund support, signed off by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Projects by the Guinness Partnership, McLaren Living and Citylife are to receive support.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “Growing up in a two-bed council flat, I learnt the importance of having a safe and secure place to call home from a young age.

“We want everyone in West Yorkshire to have that same opportunity, and regenerating Leeds’ South Bank will help achieve that.

“Today’s approval of hundreds of new homes is an exciting limestone in our important work to create a more vibrant region that works for all.”

As described in the report that went before WYC’s meeting last week, the Brownfield Housing Fund is an £89m allocation of government funding to boost housing development on brownfield sites – it is the only fund WYCA is currently using to deliver homers or regeneration, and will prioritise affordable homes projects and low-carbon schemes.

The developments that will receive support are:

Points Cross phase two, Guinness Homes: a 183-apartment scheme including 114 rental homes and 69 available through shared ownership. The site was previously used for car sales.

Of the total scheme cost of £63.8m, WYCA will contribute £3m. Taken as a whole, the 928 homes mapped out for Points Cross, in the Leeds Dock area, will be the socially-focused developer’s largest ever project.

Sky Gardens, Citylife: a development comprising 306 apartments, ranging from one- to three-bedroom. Billed as a low-carbon development including solar power. This is a £72.5m project by Citylife, with WYCA providing £2.85m.

The project includes 284 flats in the 33-storey Sky Gardens tower, along with 22 homes in Midland Mills. No affordable homes are included on-site, although £1.6m will be paid as a contribution for other areas.

Water Lane, McLaren Living: 375 build-to-rent apartments, 19 of which will be affordable. McLaren’s 25-storey project includes 220 cycle parking spaces and 46 car parking spots.

The £89.9m scheme, to be developed on the site adjacent to Sky Gardens, will receive £4.6m in support from the Combined Authority.

McLaren’s professional team includes architect Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher, ID Planning, Iceni, Pierre Angulaire, Meinhardt, re-form and Hoare Lea.