The "Beverleys" providing homes for 50 families in South Leeds

More than 50 families are looking forward to moving into brand new properties in Beeston.

The management of the scheme, featuring 55 two, three and four bedroom properties is shared between Unity Housing Association and Chevin Housing Association, part of the Together Housing Group.

This is the first scheme of this type to be built in the area for over 20 years and as such the properties have garnered a great deal of local interest. 28 half of the houses are available for social rent, and 27 are available for shared ownership, giving people the chance to own a percentage of their own home and in some cases providing opportunities for first-time buyers in what is an increasingly challenging economic climate.

The scheme not only brought physical regeneration to the area, but also social and economic regeneration in that it provided apprenticeship, work experience and training opportunities for local people. Apprentices were recruited by Bramall Construction, part of the company Keepmoat. As a result, a number of local people have improved their employment prospects and six have gained full-time jobs as a direct result of their experience.

A nearby school, Cockburn High School also benefitted from the development’s construction in that pupils were able to visit the site in order to discover how scientific subjects are used in the construction industry, thanks to the CREST Award Scheme.

The homes at the Beverleys development are all built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, making them 40% more energy efficient than typical properties of this type. This not only means that their impact on the environment is lessened, but that energy bills for the new residents will be significantly reduced. Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council Executive Board Member, with responsibility for development and the economy stated that: ‘it is great that a new set of family homes are helping to regenerate the area by brining in employment opportunities and that local people are benefitting from this.

Wayne Noteman, Regeneration Director at Unity Housing Association said that: ‘Demolition on the former terraced properties commenced in 2005, so it’s been a long journey but though there have been numerous issues along the way, the partners have worked with the local community to ensure a scheme that everyone is proud of and leaves a lasting legacy for the future.