New Bolton Woods gears up for development of 145 new homes

19 March 2018

Work starts this week to prepare under-utilised land for the construction of new homes within the £150m New Bolton Woods urban village development, near Bradford.

Funded through a £3.6m grant from the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region – the preparation works will mean faster delivery of properties on the 5.66 hectare site.

Construction teams will tackle flooding and drainage issues and work to overcome potential building difficulties caused by steep slopes within the urban village. Without the Growth Deal investment from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the land would have been significantly more difficult and expensive to develop for new housing.

The overall plan, promoted by Canal Road Urban Village Ltd (CRUVL), a joint venture development company established by Bradford Council and private developers Urbo Regeneration Ltd, is to grow an attractive and sustainable residential neighbourhood with a wide range of new facilities as part of a regional growth strategy. CRUVL is working with leading house-builder Keepmoat Homes who will build out this phase of the development. Keepmoat is providing the remaining £21.2m funding for this phase of development.

Work on infrastructure is expected to be complete this August when the site will be ready for the 145 new properties to be built. These will include 18 four-bed, 107 three-bed and 20 two-bed homes as well as enough parking for 290 cars. A road linking Poplars Park Road and Stanley Road, which is currently fenced off, will be reinstated as part of the development.

Construction on site is expected to be completed in 2021.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council said:

“While West Yorkshire’s undulating and often spectacular geography and views are distinct bonuses for people who live and work here, they can also pose costly challenges for house building. This is particularly the case on sites needing new infrastructure.

“West Yorkshire Combined Authority is tackling this head on in Bradford and beyond by investing in preparing land to speed up the building of new homes. This will ensure our awe-inspiring landscape and industrial heritage are selling points for our communities and not hindrances to our success.

“I look forward to seeing the first homes being built on site on this second phase of development at New Bolton Woods through the council’s joint venture relationship with Urbo Regeneration and Keepmoat Homes and to welcoming the first families who move in to what will no doubt be an exciting urban community.”

Local Growth and Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, said:

“Working in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Government growth deal funding is delivering regeneration across the region, whilst building the homes this country needs in a rapidly growing Northern Powerhouse economy.”

Peter Swallow, Managing Director of CRUVL said:

“We are delighted to see the next phase of our New Bolton Woods project coming forward, working with our partners Keepmoat Homes. This will provide much-needed new housing locally as part of the regional strategic plan for sustainable development.”

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said

“The LEP and West Yorkshire Combined Authority have ambitious house building and economic growth targets.

“By investing in housing infrastructure, we are preparing the ground not only for developers to build new houses but also for future economic growth for all where local people can benefit from better homes, improved access to jobs and a better quality of life.”

Ian Hoad, Regional Managing Director of Keepmoat Homes, said:

“New Bolton Woods is an exciting, high priority regeneration project and is set to genuinely bring a new lease of life to an area that has previously been overlooked. Our work will also forge the way for further regeneration in the area. We look forward to continuing to work with CRUVL to ensure the development creates a vibrant new community, which will hopefully leave a positive and long-lasting legacy.”

The 30-hectare New Bolton Woods urban village is located in the Bradford-Shipley Canal Road Corridor regeneration area, located near to Frizinghall railway station.

Fifty homes have already been built on site, 30 of which are rented social housing. The completed scheme will eventually include more than 1000 new homes developed around a new local centre. This will feature a food store and shops, primary school, nursery and health facilities, an area for businesses to set up, improved green spaces and sports facilities.

The Combined Authority has an ambition to increase housing delivery across Leeds City Region up to 10,000 homes per year by 2021. In addition to land works at New Bolton Woods, the Combined Authority is supporting the remediation of brownfield sites in Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Calderdale, Wakefield, Barnsley and York to make them ready for development.

For more information, visit the New Bolton Woods website.