Confirming purchase of the Sugar Hill estate

Social housing provider Leeds Federated Housing Association has confirmed the purchase of the Sugar Hill housing scheme from property developer Pemberstone.

The 70-home scheme at Oulton, Rothwell, near Leeds, is an ex-mining community of pre-fabricated 1950s houses which Pemberstones bought in 2001 and announced plans to redevelop as private homes for sale in 2017.

Leeds Federated have the vision for the estate that if the homes are to be replaced that a housing association would be better placed to maintain an ongoing affordable element than a private or for profit developer. Along with being able to meet the ongoing obligations to the residents with Regulated/Assured tenancies.

Detailed planning permission is in place to replace the 70 Airey Homes that had reached the end of their life cycle with 70 new build two, three and four bedroomed semi-detached and detached affordable homes that will meet the latest Nationally Described Space Standards.

The redevelopment of the estate will be completed over seven phases which will start with the preparations to build the new homes to be occupied by the ten residents with Regulated/Assured tenancies in the coming weeks.

Philip Hayton, Development Manager at Leeds Federated, said: “The redevelopment of the Sugar Hill estate is a really important project for Leeds Federated. “It will not only provide an opportunity for us to provide much needed good quality affordable homes in the local area but our involvement in the project will give certainty to a community that has undoutedely lived through a very challenging period. “We don’t underestimate the responsibility we have as the custodians of the estate from this point on and hope that the local community will welcome our involvement.