St Cecilia Street, Leeds: Council plans for £1.4m grant to create socially-rented flats in city centre

Leeds City Council is planning to provide funding to help deliver the scheme on St Cecilia Street,

Developer Legal and General Affordable Homes (LGAH) has drawn up plans for the building, which will be 100 per cent socially-rented flats.

The 11-storey scheme is subject to planning permission and would deliver 46 one-bedroom, 28 two-bed and four three-bedroom apartments at the site.

A council report said affordable homes were badly needed in the area, where 2,200 households were on the council house waiting list.

It said: “The site is within the Little London and Woodhouse ward, which is among the most deprived in the city, ranking highly in terms of unemployment, deprivation, poor health and income.

“Delivery of the scheme here will ensure that a current vacant and brownfield site is brought forward in a highly sustainable location, contributing towards supporting vibrant and mixed communities and the regeneration of this site and the wider area.”

The council would enter into a grant agreement with LGAH, a registered housing provider.

The former car park near Leeds Playhouse was previously owned by the council and identified as a potential site for affordable homes, the report said.

The grant would plug a gap in funding after LGAH secured other grants and loans to support the scheme.

The report said new socially-rented properties would help people struggling to make ends meet.

Energy efficiency measures would be built into the scheme to help tackle fuel poverty.

The report said: “Difficulty paying the rent or mortgage can cause stress, affecting mental health, while spending a high proportion of our income on housing leaves less for other essentials that influence health, such as food and social participation.”