Unity welcomes tenants to new development

Tenants who will be moving into the new housing on and around Brown Lane East were welcomed to Holbeck at an event at Holbeck Working Men’s Club earlier this month.

Unity’s latest development will provide homes for 26 families, each of which were invited to attend a ‘meet and greet’ session, so as they had the opportunity to get to know one another. It was also a chance for them to find out about some of the special features that their new homes have to offer.

Regeneration Director, Wayne Noteman, pointed out some of the features and benefits of the new flats and houses, including extra large windows, high noise and warmth insulation and larger room sizes than many private sector homes. Tenants who remain in their new homes until their later years will find that some of the properties can also be adapted, to some extent, to meet the needs of older people.

Tenants will also benefit from the fact that properties are up to 40% more energy efficient than typical properties of their type, meaning that their fuel bills could be significantly lower.

Tenants moving in to the new development will already have a local connection to the area – perhaps they have family in the area, their children attend a local school or they work in Holbeck. The new homes are due to be completed in three to four weeks’ time, at which point the tenants will be handed their keys.

Also at the event were local Councillors Adam Ogilvie and Angela Gabriel. Adam welcomed tenants to Holbeck by saying:

‘We have been working with Unity and others to get this new housing and we are delighted that regeneration had started. This is a strong community you are moving into. Welcome to Holbeck’

Community members Dennis Kitchen and Ian Pickup introduced a number of local organisations including the club itself, Holbeck Gala and the Holbeck Neighbourhood Plan. Holbeck in Bloom have planted a mass of bulbs on the side of Holbeck Moor facing the new housing, which they hope will spur tenants to work on their gardens.

Those who attended the event were excited to be moving in to their warm and spacious homes. ‘It’s a new year and a new home’ one of the residents commented.