Leeds plans zone for 20,000 new homes across city centre
Key Points
- West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Leeds City Council Leader James Lewis have unveiled plans for a Mayoral Development Zone covering Leeds city centre.
- The MDZ could unlock up to 20,000 new homes, alongside jobs, public spaces, cultural destinations and commercial developments, subject to West Yorkshire Combined Authority approval.
- Homes England announced a £16 million infrastructure grant to Caddick Group on the same day for Leeds South Village, a derelict South Bank site with permission for 1,925 homes.
- The grant funds roads, utilities and green space at South Village, part of Homes England's Strategic Place Partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
- Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the funding would support homeownership, jobs and community facilities in the city.
West Yorkshire’s mayor and Leeds City Council have unveiled plans for a Mayoral Development Zone across Leeds city centre that could unlock up to 20,000 new homes.
Mayor Tracy Brabin and council leader James Lewis announced the proposal on Tuesday (19 May), pending West Yorkshire Combined Authority approval.
The MDZ would act as a delivery vehicle covering a broad area of the city centre, with scope to bring forward local jobs, public spaces, cultural destinations and commercial developments alongside the housing.
The announcement coincided with Homes England confirming a £16 million infrastructure grant to Caddick Group for Leeds South Village, a derelict site in the city’s South Bank that has outline planning permission for 1,925 homes.
A proportion of those will be affordable, alongside commercial space and significant green areas. The funding covers roads, utilities and green space at the site, which sits within one of the focus areas of Homes England’s Strategic Place Partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
“Devolution is working in West Yorkshire, and we remain committed to working with partners such as Homes England as we build a stronger, brighter region that works for all,” said Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire.
Brabin said the South Village site would help deliver record numbers of affordable homes while protecting green space and creating new communities, framing the housing push as part of a wider devolution agenda for the region.
“The momentum we are seeing across the South Bank is clear. Between the ongoing works at Elland Road and now the progress here at South Village, we are transforming this area into a vibrant destination for residents and businesses alike,” said Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council.
Lewis pointed to future milestones at sites including the Royal Armouries as further evidence of the scale of the city’s regeneration plans.
“The funding from Homes England marks a major milestone for South Village and Caddick’s aspirations for the Leeds’ South Bank, enabling us to move decisively into delivery,” said Lee Savage, Director at Caddick and project lead for South Village.
The infrastructure works will deliver roads, footpaths and cycleways across the site, opening it for onward development by housebuilders. Savage said the works were significant in both scale and complexity and would lay the foundations for the new neighbourhood.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the cash injection would help local families access homeownership while opening the door to jobs, community facilities and green spaces.
Amy Rees, Chief Executive at Homes England, said the agency was working at pace with partners across Leeds and West Yorkshire to accelerate housing and regeneration delivery and boost economic growth.
The Leeds South Village site forms part of the city’s South Bank regeneration, a former industrial heartland now central to ongoing redevelopment work in Leeds.
