Construction work is commence on an extra care housing scheme that will make a hugely-positive difference to life in a Leeds community.

Leeds City Council's Middlecross development in Armley will be home to 65 high-quality, energy efficient and affordable apartments providing independent living opportunities for older people.

The three-storey complex, to be built on brownfield land between Armley Grove Place and Simpson Grove, will also have care facilities and communal spaces, including a 50-seat dining area.

It is anticipated that construction will get under way in March this year, with completion scheduled for early 2027.

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The scheme – which is being delivered via Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP) – will regenerate a two-acre site that has been unused following the demolition of Middlecross Day Centre in 2018.

Its transformation will also support Leeds’s net zero ambitions, with the apartments being built to energy efficient specifications and benefiting from high levels of insulation and the use of ground source heat pump technology.

By making the new homes available for affordable rent, the council has underlined its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of all local residents while tackling issues such as fuel poverty.

The bulk of the funding for the development is being provided by the council’s housing service via Right to Buy receipts and borrowing, with £1.3m of grant support due to come from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund.

The scheme is due to be delivered for the council by Morgan Sindall Construction and will benefit the wider community by creating employment, skills and apprenticeship opportunities.