Leeds City Council has agreed a £9.3 million deal with Willmott Dixon for 59 new affordable homes in the region.

The contractor will deliver homes for rent in Gipton and Osmondthorpe as part of the council's Housing Growth Programme which aims to contribute over 300 new council homes towards the city's overall annual target of 1,230 new affordable homes from 2019 onwards.

The new developments will be named after the streets they're located on, The Beeches and The Nevilles, with funding secured through Homes England.

Stuart Kerr, director for Willmott Dixon, said: "These two schemes are hugely important projects for Leeds and Leeds City Council, so we are proud to be part of their creation. The developments will make a huge difference to their local communities by providing something that is always in high demand, housing. We are very excited to now be on site, especially as these are the first social housing developments in Leeds for the last two decades.

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"Over the duration of The Beeches and The Nevilles scheme, we have committed to investing ten per cent back into the local community, equating to a monetary value of £930k. This will see us working with local school and colleges, on community projects, as well as ensuring that at least 80 per cent of local spend and labour is within ten miles of the site."

All homes will meet the council's Leeds Housing Standard in terms of design quality, space and energy efficiency, and will deliver reduced running costs for residents, contributing to reductions in fuel poverty in the city. The developments, which have been designed by Halsall Lloyd Partnership, are due for completion in July 2020.

This project success follows on from Willmott Dixon's two recent contract wins worth over £40 million to create more than 100 affordable homes in Salford for Salix Homes and 147 homes on a nine acre site in Simonsway for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.

(CM/MH)