Leeds City Council has built or acquired more than 1,000 homes through its Council Housing Growth Programme CHGP), with a further £200m committed for 2026-2031.
The council said 1,116 homes have now been delivered under the programme, more than 200 of them completed in the 12 months to the end of March this year.
Including schemes delivered by housing associations and via section 106 developer contributions, the number of affordable homes built in Leeds during 2025/26 rose to 943 – the highest total in three decades, according to the council.
New-build CHGP schemes completed since 2020 include a 100-home development in Middleton, which also comprises 16 wheelchair-accessible bungalows and the 60-apartment Gascoigne House extra care facility, built on the former site of Throstle Recreation Ground and Middleton Skills Centre; a 55-home scheme spread across Amberton Terrace, Amberton Crescent, Amberton Street and Montagu Avenue in Gipton; and 33 homes at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft.
Projects under construction include a 65-apartment extra care development in Armley, on the former Middlecross Day Centre site, and an 82-home scheme at Hough Top in Swinnow, near Pudsey.
Planning applications have also been submitted for CHGP developments at Richmond Road in Farsley, Wood Lane in Rothwell and the former Kingsdale Court flats site in Boggart Hill, Seacroft.
Council new-builds account for 43% of homes delivered through the programme, with the remainder acquired from private developers and owners. The council’s latest acquisitions include 41 homes at Persimmon’s Morwick Green development off York Road, split across the Cross Gates & Whinmoor and Harewood wards, some of which are already occupied by council tenants.
Council leader James Lewis and Tom Hinchcliffe, the council’s executive member for transport and planning, visited Morwick Green last week.
A further 42 homes have been acquired at Persimmon sites at Laneside Farm, in the Morley North ward, and Wellington Mount, in the Cross Gates & Whinmoor ward. Support from Homes England’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme means the properties bought at Morwick Green, Laneside Farm and Wellington Mount can be let at social rent, the most affordable tenure. Five of these homes are included in the current 1,116 total, with the remaining 78 to be added as they are completed and handed over.
Funding for the CHGP’s first five-year phase came via the council’s housing service, using Right to Buy receipts and borrowing. The executive board has committed a further £200m for the programme’s 2026-2031 second phase.
Thriving communities
Council leader James Lewis said: “We are determined, as a council, to reduce inequality, build thriving communities and provide opportunities that benefit people living in every part of Leeds. By delivering good quality, energy efficient and affordable homes, our Council Housing Growth Programme has a vital role to play in helping us achieve that goal.
“I’m delighted, therefore, that the programme has now passed this impressive 1,000-home milestone and my thanks go to everyone who has worked so hard to get us here. We know there is still much to do, but can assure local residents that we are focused on delivering more of the kind of council housing that can change lives and communities for the better.”
Tom Hinchcliffe, the council’s executive member for transport and planning, said: “The Leeds Council Housing Growth Programme has shown what can be achieved with bold, ambitious thinking allied to a carefully planned and strategic way of working.
“Building houses alone isn’t enough. We are also ensuring that new homes in Leeds meet a range of needs and, crucially, are in suitable and sustainable locations. Collaboration is vital. Our work alongside registered providers and other partners in the last year has driven affordable housing delivery in the city to its highest level in 30 years.
“This joined-up approach will bring continued success in the years to come, not least through the preparation of a new Leeds Local Plan with a flexible and responsive suite of policies that can support further affordable housing growth.”
Main image: (Left to right) Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council; Councillor Tom Hinchcliffe, executive member for transport and planning; and Sean Eames, head of external affairs at Persimmon PLC, at the Morwick Green housing development in Leeds
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