Demolition work is in full swing at a complex of empty flats as Leeds City Council pushes forward plans to transform the site with new-build affordable homes.
The Kingsdale Court complex, in the Boggart Hill area of Seacroft, was for many years blighted by poor housing conditions and dwindling occupancy levels as well as issues linked to crime and anti-social behaviour. The council decided it should seek to undertake a comprehensive regeneration of the site.
Key to this was the acquisition of Kingsdale Court’s 88 flats – all of which were privately owned – along with its freehold and associated management rights.
The acquisitions process was successfully concluded in May this year, with the current demolition programme getting under way in October.
The programme will replace the eight medium-rise blocks that made up Kingsdale Court.
Meanwhile, design work is continuing ahead of the submission of a planning application for the new council housing proposed for the cleared site.
The full details of the scheme have yet to be finalised, but at this stage it is expected to involve a mix of houses and apartments.
Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said: “As a council, we are determined to use all the resources and opportunities at our disposal to tackle deprivation and improve living standards in communities across the city.
“The work currently taking place at Boggart Hill is a great example of the difference that this approach can make, with Kingsdale Court’s poor-quality private sector housing long being a cause for local concern.
“I was really pleased to have the chance to visit the site and hear more from the demolition team about the activity there.
“Our aim is to transform this part of Seacroft and build, through our Council Housing Growth Programme, the kind of good quality, energy efficient and affordable homes that are a source of pride for their tenants and also the wider area.”
