Date published: 16 July 2024
The Fold in Horsforth, Leeds, is a hive of activity right now. It was fantastic to see the progress on site, meet residents and connect with partners during last week’s event to mark our 7000th newly built home.
Bringing 152 brand new homes to the old Leeds City College campus, not only will this scheme benefit the hundreds of people who will move into the homes, but also the local economy and environment.
Being constructed using Yorkshire stone; providing rent and shared ownership options; within walking distance of Horsforth itself; and with a nature reserve on the doorstep - this is going to be a wonderful place to live.
Our 7000th new home milestone provides a terrific opportunity to reflect on that achievement but also look ahead to meet the needs of customers.
The long game
Sites like The Fold, a development partly funded by Homes England, can take years of planning and construction, with this site receiving planning in 2021 and due to be complete by the end of this year.
The demand for housing in Horsforth is historically one of the highest in Leeds. But that doesn’t mean getting planning is easy. It takes time and real thought to get to a point where everyone is happy with the design and details of these developments.
Building strong, long-lasting relationships and trust between partners is key to the smooth delivery of new homes as well as identifying opportunities.
One such partnership is with Vistry Homes, a long-standing partner that has constructed many homes for us. Vistry also forms partnerships with suppliers and local people through employment and apprenticeship opportunities.
Environmental matters
We know that as one of the leading housing providers in the country, we have a responsibility not just to build affordable homes, but to ensure that those homes respond to the challenges we face as a society.
Homes need to be robust, future-proofed and sustainable. We also need to do what we can to make them affordable in an ongoing energy crisis, finding innovative ways to not only reduce our carbon impact but simultaneously keep customers’ bills lower.
We don’t use gas at any of our new home sites as part of our work to meet net zero targets. Additionally, at The Fold, homes feature air source heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points to help future-proof them for the benefit of both customers and the environment.
An ecological area with a ‘no mow’ zone, hedgehog highways and a woodland path for everyone to enjoy all add to the biodiversity on site.
People priorities
At the heart of what we’re achieving with large developments like The Fold, right down to our smallest sites are the people in our homes and local communities. We’re building homes that customers want to live in, in the areas they want to be in.
The fact that we’re also helping those local communities thrive, whether that’s through a higher intake for the local primary school, apprenticeship opportunities for a city’s young people, or boosting local businesses, is the icing on the cake.
The Fold is a site that I hope everyone involved in feels proud of – I certainly do, and I hope and predict that those moving into the homes there will feel proud too.
With a newly elected government in place, I’m hopeful that a long-term plan for housing will allow many more of these sustainable, high-quality homes to be developed - here’s to the next 7000.