Willmott Dixon is extending its track-record for building homes across the north of England for local authorities and housing associations with a £9.3 million contract from Leeds City Council to deliver homes for affordable rent in Gipton and Osmondthorpe.

It follows two recent contract wins worth over £40 million to create more than 100 affordable homes in Salford for Salix Homes and 147 homes on a nine acre site in Simonsway for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.

This latest award adds to this by seeing Willmott Dixon build 59 new homes on two sites in East Leeds as part of Leeds City Council’s Housing Growth Programme which aims to contribute over 300 new council homes towards the city’s overall annual target of 1,230 new affordable homes from 2019 onwards.

The new developments will be named after the streets they’re located on, The Beeches and The Nevilles.

Willmott Dixon’s portfolio of homes in the north also includes 120 homes across nine sites in Doncaster for the Metropolitan Borough Council (below), resulting in a range of one-bed to four-bed family homes built to the local authority’s own house type specification.

Stuart Kerr, director for Willmott Dixon:

“These two schemes are hugely important projects for Leeds and Leeds City Council, so we are proud to be part of their creation. The developments will make a huge difference to their local communities by providing something that is always in high demand, housing. We are very excited to now be on site, especially as these are the first social housing developments in Leeds for the last two decades.

“Over the duration of The Beeches and The Nevilles scheme, we have committed to investing ten per cent back into the local community, equating to a monetary value of £930k. This will see us working with local school and colleges, on community projects, as well as ensuring that at least 80 per cent of local spend and labour is within ten miles of the site.”

Councillor Debra Coupar, Executive Member for Communities:

“I’m delighted to have been part of the sod cutting ceremony celebrating the start of works on new homes in East Leeds and for the local school to be a part of the development through the street-naming competition. As a council we have worked hard to ensure we are in a position to progress and build new council houses across the city for our residents and communities, ensuring that we address the need for affordable housing that families and individuals can reside in for years to come.”

The Beeches and Nevilles schemes will also contribute to the council’s social value charter via the creation of employment, skills and apprenticeship opportunities, addressing social, economic and environmental challenges, and supporting wider regeneration aspirations.

All homes will meet the council’s Leeds Housing Standard in terms of design quality, space and energy efficiency, and will deliver reduced running costs for residents, contributing to reductions in fuel poverty in the city. The developments, which have been designed by Halsall Lloyd Partnership, are due for completion in July 2020.