At least 13,000 homes are set to be built as part of a “new town” in a major Yorkshire city. The plans for a new generation of new towns, aimed at tackling Britain’s housing crisis, were unveiled by the Government at last month’s Labour party conference, where Housing Minister Steve Reid vowed to “build, baby, build” and “do whatever it takes to get Britain building”.
Twelve locations have been identified across the country, with construction set to begin on three before the next election, including South Bank in Leeds. The ‘new town’ will see a significant expansion of Leeds, while also offering retail opportunities and a tram network. It is hoped the development could help with housing shortages and improve transport links within the city.
Leeds would be expanded on a 258-acre site on the southern side of the River Aire as part of the new town development.
The area of the city has already seen regeneration work in recent years, but the development could grow this further.
The plans would see the building have at least 13,000 homes and three million square feet of commercial space.
South Bank was identified as one of 12 locations following a report by the Government’s New Towns Taskforce.
Leeds is a significant business and economic hub, with the report saying the area has seen the fastest growth in knowledge-intensive businesses of all UK cities in the last 15 years.
However, it warned that while Leeds has seen strong housing growth, median house prices are 6.46 times median earnings.
The area has an above-average rate of substandard housing, reports the Sun, while there are more than 26,000 households waiting for homes through the Leeds Homes Register.
The report said including South Bank in the future new towns project “would help address this need for thousands of high-quality, well-designed new homes”.
City Council leader James Lewis has described the plans as a “powerful vote of confidence” in Leeds’s “ambition and potential.”
He said they look forward to seeing proposals and working with the Government on developing the South Bank.
Construction on new towns in Tempsford, Bedfordshire, and Enfield’s Chase Park and Crews Hill, London, is also expected before the next election.
The new developments are promised to have “first-class local GP surgeries, schools, green spaces, and transport links.”
There is hope that the new towns initiative will deliver up to 300,000 homes in the decades ahead.