54North Homes has officially opened a development of 28 affordable and sustainable new homes in Armley, Leeds, with a welcome event for new residents, councillors and partners.
The £5 million Pilkington Grove scheme has been built on a brownfield site, formerly owned by the Church of England, off Wesley Road in Armley, Leeds. The 28-home development comprises 26 houses and two flats providing much needed affordable and energy-efficient homes close to local amenities and transport links.
Jonathan Fletcher, Managing Director at 54North Homes, comments: “We were delighted to welcome customers, partners and councillors to the opening event. It’s fantastic to see the development complete and meet the new residents who are really enjoying their new homes. It was great to chat with them and hear about how they’re settling in.
Dowaa and her family have bought one of the new Pilkington Grove homes through Shared Ownership. She said: “The Shared Ownership scheme has given our family an opportunity we never thought we would have so soon. It has allowed us to take our first step towards home ownership and move away from an expensive private rental.
“One of the things that means the most to us is the outdoor space. Seeing our children playing happily in front of the house or in the back garden, enjoying the green space, brings us so much joy. We also really appreciate the thoughtful design of Pilkington Grove, creating affordable homes without compromising on quality. It truly feels like a wonderful place for families to live and has had a really positive impact on our lives.”
The site had previously been home to a vicarage and church hall, which had lain empty for two decades, so it was great to bring the land back into use while retaining mature trees to preserve biodiversity.
The name ‘Pilkington Grove’ links to the new development’s neighbours, the 17th South West Leeds Scout Hut, and the Scouts worked with 54North Homes to come up with a name. Touchingly, they chose to honour their former local Scouting leader, Ron Pilkington MBE, who dedicated over 50 years to helping the unit, and four generations of Ron’s family attended the opening event.
Leeds City Council committed £700,000 to the project from a funding stream which supports affordable housing delivery using pooled financial contributions paid by developers as part of planning agreements.
Attending the event, Councillor Peter Carlill, Executive Member for Transport and Planning at Leeds City Council, said:
“It’s great to see this high-quality affordable housing development completed in Armley, transforming a long-empty site into much-needed new homes for local people.
“Developments like Pilkington Grove are a strong example of how we are working with partners to deliver sustainable, well-connected communities with energy-efficient homes that help tackle both the housing challenge and our climate ambitions.
“We’re pleased to have supported this scheme and to see residents now moving in and benefiting from these modern, affordable homes.”
Sustainability is at the heart of the development’s design. The homes all achieve an EPC rating of A, boast solar PV panels and have air source heat pumps powering the heating and hot water. There are also EV charging points for vehicles, individual enclosed gardens and open landscaped areas with mature trees and hedgerows, which have been retained from the original site.
54North Homes owns and manages over 4,000 affordable homes throughout Yorkshire and is part of the Karbon Group. The Group’s strategic partnership with Homes England part-funded the scheme, which was built by the Ashfield Group and designed by Brewster Bye Architects, with BWA acting as employer’s agent.