Almost £200m to be spent on building nearly 900 homes in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has announced proposals for three apartment blocks, containing 697 homes, on a vacant site in Leeds city centre.

It wants the £154m development, known as Leeds Village, to open in April 2026 and has promised to ensure that 20 per cent of the rented apartments are affordble.

A WYCA report stated: “There is a shortage of good-quality homes in this area and providing homes for rent within the centre will support local businesses. There will also be significant benefit from regenerating this vacant brownfield site.”

As part of a separate £17m project, the authority is planning to build 114 apartments on the site of a former car park, on Cow Green in Halifax town centre, by 2025. There are also plans for 26 and 53 flats near the town centre in Huddersfield, including some which will be offered to the elderly and people with special needs.

According to the plans, the £15m development is due to open in 2025. All three projects, which will be discussed by WYCA at a meeting on Thursday, are due to receive funding from a £66.7m Brownfield Housing Fund.

The Government handed the funding to WYCA in July 2020, to support the development of new homes on brownfield sites.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin is keen to see the developments progress, as she promised 5,000 new affordable and sustainable homes for the region when she was elected last May.