Leeds City Council has completed energy efficiency upgrades to more than 100 back-to-back homes in Holbeck, West Yorkshire, 10 months after work began.
The scheme covers more than 150 properties, a mix of council, owner-occupied, and private rented homes. It is due to finish in spring 2027.
It is the first project delivered through Heart of Holbeck, a £15.9m government-funded regeneration programme led by the council with Leeds Building Society and the charity Holbeck Together. The programme is due for completion by spring 2028.
Work includes new roofs, insulation of attic rooms and roof voids, chimney repairs, replacement guttering and downpipes, and double-glazed windows and thermally efficient doors. External wall insulation with a brick-slip finish is being applied, and communal areas such as bin yards are being improved.
The council’s construction partner, Equans, is delivering the work. Around 300 Holbeck homes received similar improvements before the current programme began.
Councillor Asghar Khan, the council’s executive member for housing and hubs, visited the area with Equans representatives to see the work. He said: “Many of Holbeck’s back-to-back terraces are more than 100 years old and, as such, are harder and more expensive to keep warm than modern properties.
“These energy efficiency upgrades will, we hope, give residents – particularly those who are older or more vulnerable – greater comfort and peace of mind, while also making them less susceptible to cold-related illness.”
Sean Corcoran, regional director at Equans, said: “We’re proud to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council and the local community to improve existing homes in Holbeck in support of the wider transformation of the area.
“Investing in these homes will have a long-lasting impact on the people who live here, not only making the properties warmer but making them more affordable to heat too – placing much-needed funds back in the pockets of residents.”
Heart of Holbeck
Other Heart of Holbeck schemes are moving towards starting on site. Two planning applications have been submitted.
The first would convert the Old Box Office on Domestic Street, a former cinema dating from the 1910s, into a multi-use community space. Leeds Building Society, which owns the building, would carry out the renovation from early 2027 if permission is granted, then gift the building to Holbeck Together. Plans include a reception area, community supermarket and kitchen, a new home for the charity’s re:loved shop, and offices.
The second covers St Matthew’s Community Centre, a Grade II-listed former church owned by the council and run by Holbeck Together. It would involve conserving the historic exterior and changing the internal layout, including a revamped main hall, café, kitchen, and mezzanine level. If approved, work would start in summer 2027.
Elissa Newman, chief officer of Holbeck Together, said: “One of the most exciting things at the moment is that the wider Heart of Holbeck programme is beginning to move from plans and conversations into visible change.
“The next stage submission for redevelopment of St Matthew’s, if successful, will further transform our ability as a community anchor to support the local community with their ever-changing and increasing needs.”
Designs have also been drawn up, following consultation over the summer, for the programme’s Local Centre scheme. It would improve roads and green spaces, including Domestic Street, Top Moor Side, and Holbeck Moor, with better routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
The council says about 75% of children in Holbeck live in low-income families. As of 2021, the Beeston & Holbeck ward had an above-average proportion of households in fuel poverty compared with the rest of Leeds.
Main image: Councillor Asghar Khan, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing and hubs, visits a home in Holbeck that has benefited from improvement work as part of the Heart of Holbeck regeneration programme
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