£334 million scheme to deliver thousands of homes across West Yorkshire
Bradford sites that could benefit from a £334 million fund intended to boost house building will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The West Yorkshire Housing Investment Fund will help “unlock” long empty sites across the region, and Bradford’s proposed Southern Gateway has been suggested as one development that could benefit.
The money has been given to West Yorkshire Combined Authority by the Government, and at the last meeting of the Authority last month members agreed to progress to the next stages.
This will include identifying potential housing sites in the five Districts that make up West Yorkshire.
A report to members said the funding would “unlock land for development and support stalled schemes across the region.”
It referred to the Southern Gateway project – initially proposed by the former Labour leadership of Bradford Council.
The scheme would extend Bradford city centre South, making better use of spaces between Leeds Road and Manchester Road.
As well as the development of new business space and facilities such as medical centres, the Southern Gateway will see the creation of thousands of new homes.
At the meeting West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said the scheme was a “really important step forward for how we deliver housing across the region.
“We continue to be focused on unlocking Brownfield sites and getting development moving where it might otherwise stall.”
Addressing the need for housing, she said: “Far too many children are growing up in temporary accommodation.”
Ruth Davison, interim director of environment and place, said: “It is about building the right homes in the right places.
“It will deliver over 4,000 homes across West Yorkshire and attract significant private investment.”
She said a list of sites that could benefit from the funding was being drawn up by the authority, and was likely to be published later this month. Officers had been working “really hard” to draw up the sites and which would be the forerunner sites.
She added: “Sometimes sites become locked and there are issued that prevent them being delivered. This decision includes £5.5 million to de risk sites and support them to the market to the point where these sites can move to delivery.”
Ms Brabin said: “It is important that we move fast in house building. Even if we build more affordable homes it is still not enough.”
Mandy Ridyard, director of Baildon based Produmax, is a business representative on the Authority. She said: “We welcome this from the business community.
“It creates homes for residents and work for residents. Businesses want to grow, and we need to make sure we’ve got the workforce and homes for that workforce.”
As well as the Southern Gateway, the programme will look to invest in transformational regeneration projects including Leeds South Bank, which has the potential to deliver around 20,000 homes, the new garden communities that could unlock 3,000 homes in Calderdale and a further 3,000 homes in Kirklees, as well as 1,000 homes at Cathedral Quarter in Wakefield.