Leeds tenants move into new Hough Top homes

By Hiyastar Newsroom for hiyastar.co.uk

The first council tenants have moved into a new affordable housing development at Hough Top in Swinnow, near Pudsey, after the first seven homes were completed and handed over.

The Leeds City Council scheme is being built on the site of the former Hough Side High School and will eventually provide 82 council homes for affordable rent. Full completion is expected this winter.

Work began at the end of 2024, turning a cleared former school site into a mix of family houses and apartments designed for households with different needs.

First families settle into Hough Top

The first handovers mean the development has moved from construction site to lived-in housing, with tenants now occupying the initial completed homes.

For families and individuals waiting for affordable rented housing in the area, the scheme adds new council-owned homes in a part of Leeds where demand remains high.

Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said the authority was working to deliver “good quality, energy efficient and affordable council housing” across the city. He said tenants were now settling into the first Hough Top homes while work continues on the rest of the development.

82 affordable homes on a former school site

The completed Hough Top scheme will include 55 houses and 27 apartments, ranging from one-bedroom properties to four-bedroom family homes.

All 82 homes will be available for affordable rent by council tenants. The mix is intended to support different household sizes, from single tenants and couples to larger families needing more space.

The site had been empty since the former Hough Side High School buildings were demolished in 2021 and 2022. Alongside the homes, the project is set to create about 4,500 square metres of public open space.

Energy efficiency is also part of the design. Leeds City Council says measures including individual air source heat pumps are expected to help tenants with living costs, particularly as heating and household bills remain a pressure for many renters.

Council housing programme behind the build

Hough Top is being delivered through the Council Housing Growth Programme, the Leeds City Council initiative that has built or acquired hundreds of homes in recent years.

Recent new-build projects under the programme include 33 homes at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft and 55 homes in the Ambertons area of Gipton. In Middleton, 176 homes have been delivered on land previously occupied by Throstle Recreation Ground and Middleton Skills Centre, including the 60-apartment Gascoigne House extra care facility.

Another scheme is under construction at Middlecross in Armley, where 65 apartments are planned for people aged over 55 with care and support needs.

Funding for the Hough Top development is mainly coming from the council’s housing service through Right to Buy receipts and borrowing. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund is also providing £1.64 million in grant support.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said affordable homes were needed at a time when households were facing cost of living pressures, and linked the project to wider brownfield housing investment across West Yorkshire.

Training and local employment activity

Willmott Dixon is the lead contractor on the Hough Top scheme. The company says its work around the project has included 125 apprentice training weeks, nearly 75 hours of school engagement and career mentoring for local people.

Chris Yates, Yorkshire director at Willmott Dixon, said handing over the first seven homes was a milestone for the families moving in and for the wider project.

He said the contractor was also focused on skills and employment opportunities through its Building Lives Academy programme and engagement with nearby schools and colleges.

Completion expected this winter

Construction is continuing on the remaining homes at Hough Top, with Leeds City Council expecting the full 82-home development to be completed this winter.

The next phase will determine how quickly more households can move in and how the new open space is brought into everyday use for residents and the wider Swinnow community.

Willmott Dixon said it expects to complete the remaining homes this winter.

Source: Leeds City Council