Construction has commenced on the second phase of a project that will see 28 new homes built on the Queenshill estate in north Leeds.
The plans are part of Leeds Jewish Housing Association’s (LJHA) initiative to replace old properties with new accommodation for families and older members of the community.
Image: Artist impression of The Island Site affordable housing development in north Leeds which is about to begin construction.
During the construction period, which is set to be led by Jack Lunn limited, families are required to vacate their home and temporarily live in short-term lets that have been supplied via the help of homeless charity Turning Lives Around.
Modelling for a timeframe of Spring 2026, the development, which is otherwise known as The Island Site, will be comprised of 14 two-bed and 12 three-bed homes, alongside a one-bed home and a two-bed apartment.
The project follows phase one of the plans which was completed in 2022 in partnership with Homes England – who are also working on the second phase – and named Best Housing Development at the Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Awards 2023. The proposal is made up of 51 sheltered apartments for people over the age of 55 and 34 general needs apartments.
Commenting on the news, Mark Grandfield, chief executive of LJHA, said: ‘We are excited to begin the second phase of our regeneration masterplan which, collectively, will deliver 113 new high-quality homes in place of 52 outdated houses and flats.
‘Phase two will incorporate 28 new homes in place of the 40 outdated flats. However, this will create 121 bed spaces, a significant increase on the 56 bed spaces in the flats, the majority of which were single occupancy.
‘Winning the Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Award for phase one underlined the high standard of build that was achieved. I am confident that the new development will be of equally stunning quality.’
Echoing a similar tone, Craig Simons, director of operations at LJHA added: ‘Both the masterplan and individual proposals for phases one and two have been the subject of extensive community consultations. These have ranged from small group round table discussions with the existing community in the area, to wider drop-ins which residents from surrounding estates were invited to.
‘Each of these exercises provided an opportunity for the community to provide feedback, either directly to LJHA and the architect at smaller sessions, or through feedback forms at the pre-planning consultation.
‘We are delighted that this feedback was overwhelmingly supportive of our goal to replace the outdated flats with modern family housing.’
Photo by Leeds Jewish Housing Association
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