Work can begin in Beeston now final house secured

Demolition can finally be completed to pave the way for new homes in Beeston, after the final old house in the Beverleys was purchased by Leeds City Council.

The major £11m project to replace obsolete housing in the area will see more than 130 poor quality properties replaced with modern, high-quality, affordable housing.

This month, the final resident moved out of the Beverleys after the council arranged to purchase their home. Residents have been able to find new homes thanks to advice and support from the council.

The area suffers from poor or obsolete housing and this renewal of the housing market is part of the comprehensive regeneration of Beeston Hill and Holbeck. They will be replaced with 55 two, three and four bedroomed houses, each with its own private garden. The homes will be built to modern standards of energy efficiency.

In 2005, the council’s executive board approved proposals for the acquisition and demolition of properties in the Beverleys area – a high number of which were unfit or empty at the time, while many of the residents were hoping to move out of the area.

A total of 97 privately-owned properties were purchased by the council so that 132 buildings, including pre-1919 back-to-back houses, could be demolished to make way for new affordable homes on the cleared site. The basic fabric of many of these properties was beyond repair.

Early phases of demolition have been taking place since 2008 but now that all properties are within council ownership the area will be cleared over the coming months.
Officers are working with Chevin Housing Association who intend to submit a planning application for redevelopment of the site shortly.

The plans will be available to view at the Dewsbury Road One Stop Centre on 16th and 17th December, 2009.

Chevin Housing Association will also submit an application to the Homes and Communities Agency for grant funding for the development of new affordable homes for rent and for shared ownership on the site.
If planning approval and funding is secured it is hoped that work on the new homes will start mid-2010.

Councillor Les Carter, Leeds City Council’s executive board member for housing, said:
“This is an area plagued by poor housing and radical action was needed to improve the situation.
“We have been careful to make sure that everyone who has had to move out, whether a council tenant or a private owner, has been offered support to help them find a new home.
“This is a major project for us and I’m pleased that work can now finally begin to transform the area, which we believe will bring many other positive changes to Beeston.”


Notes for editors
Research in 1999 by Sheffield Hallam University and Marchavon stock condition survey plus census data, and letting demand for socially rented homes, identified the Beverleys as having:
• a high proportion of occupants who were keen to move out of the area within the next five years
• a high proportion of unfit properties,
• a high proportion of empty properties,
• poor environmental conditions,
• a high number of properties with poor energy efficiency ratings.


ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Michael Molcher, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 224 3937
Email: michael.molcher@leeds.gov.uk