Extra cash injection for housing project

Altogether 50 homes will now be built on a brownfield site at Beech Grove in Undercliffe after Bradford Council received an additional £1.4m from the Homes and Communities Agency.

The overall cost of the scheme is £7.5m – with the council contributing half.

Local employment and training opportunities have also received a boost, with seven construction apprentices being recruited and a total of 84 weeks of work placements being offered during the construction.

Preparatory work has begun on the project – which initially included 31 affordable homes.

The extra cash means that 19 extra three, four and five-bedroomed properties can now be built at the same time.

They should be ready next May and will be available as social rented properties.

Councillor Rev Paul Flowers, the council’s executive member for culture, planning and housing, said: “There is a big demand for affordable housing in the district so this additional funding is great news.

“The Beech Grove scheme will include a range of high-quality homes and I’m sure families seeking social housing locally will welcome its expansion.

“As well as the extra 19 homes this creates, the added apprenticeship and training opportunities will further increase the benefits of the scheme.”

Homes and Communities Agency executive director David Curtis said yesterday: “It is great news for the local residents that we have been able to fund an additional 19 homes in Undercliffe.

“These new family homes will make a real difference to the community and will ensure that people can live where they want in homes that they can afford,” added Mr Curtis.

The materials used will help the buildings be thermally efficient and environmentally friendly.