Project Updates
Please see the downloads on the right for full details of the latest news concerning the project.
If you have any questions about this scheme, please contact Russell Merrick, Regeneration Officer, on 0113 214 1923.
History of the Bid
In the summer of 2006, a comprehensive Regeneration Plan was produced with a view to obtaining funding under the Government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for the Beeston Hill and Holbeck area of Leeds. This would allow Leeds City Council to invest over £90 million of funding over the next 30 years into regeneration initiatives that would create an improved and better living environment in Beeston Hill and Holbeck.
An Outline Business Case (OBC) was submitted to Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in October 2007. The OBC requested £93.6million with a contract period of 20 years.
Following Option Appraisals and extensive resident consultation which took place in 2007 and further investigations into the costs of converting some of the property archetypes, the scope of the project was agreed as follows:
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Clearance of 685 unsustainable and low demand public sector homes;
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Refurbishment of 291 existing housing units and ongoing maintenance during the contract period;
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Conversion of 30 existing sheltered housing units to form 24 sheltered housing units and ongoing maintenance during the contract period;
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Construction of up to 350 new council homes for rent and ongoing maintenance during the contract period.
Following further investigation of feasibility and costs of some of the property types, the preferred options were agreed for each area as follows:
|
Stock Type/Site
|
Preferred Option
|
| Bismarck's |
Clearance and redevelopment |
| Conversion of bedsits, area wide |
To be excluded from the PFI contract and a conversion option considered |
| Conversion of maisonettes, area wide |
Clearance and redevelopment |
| Fairfax Road & Cemetery Road flats |
Clearance |
| Holbeck back-to-back housing |
Refurbishment of type 3's (those with a yard or garden to the front) |
| Holbeck low-rise stock |
'Decent Homes' improvements |
| Holbeck Towers, Gaitskell Grange and Gaitskell Court |
Clearance and redevelopment |
| Ingram Court |
Conversion |
| Malvern Rise |
Clearance and redevelopment |
| Malvern Road maisonettes |
Clearance |
| Meynell Heights |
Clearance and redevelopment |
| St Luke's Green |
Clearance and redevelopment |
The following sites were agreed for inclusion in the scheme for the provision of new housing (including council housing):
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Bismarck Drive
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Holbeck Towers
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Malvern Rise/Grove
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St Luke's Green
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Waverley Garth
A re-housing plan has been developed by Aire Valley Homes Leeds to manage the re-housing of tenants affected by demolition in the area. The plan is linked to provision of new council housing on a phased basis.
A Communications Strategy was developed to ensure effective communication with all stakeholders throughout the project. All tenants affected by these proposals were contacted by letter in November 2007 to advise them of the results of the Options Appraisal and the council's preferred option for their area.